Gondola project lease queried

Press, 19 June 1986, Page 9

Gondola project lease queried

Heathcote Valley residents want an apology from the Christchurch City Council over its granting a lease for the Mount Cavendish gondola project. They say the council exceeded its authority in approving a lease for the reserve on which the restaurant would be built, and believe their view is supported by a letter from the Minister of Lands, Mr Wetere. The chairman of the Heathcote Valley Community Association, Mr Winston Hindmarsh, wrote to Mr Wetere two months ago seeking clarification

on granting a lease for the use of the reserve. Mr Wetere’s reply, received yesterday, says that the authority to grant a lease of the Crown reserve is his as Minister of Lands. That authority is delegated to the Commissioner of Crown Lands in Christchurch as the Minister’s representative.

To date, the commissioner had not received an application associated with the Mount Cavendish gondola project, said Mr Wetere. Cr John Burn, chairman of the City Council’s park and recreation committee, acknowledged that the

final authority for the lease of public land was the Minister’s. The council had recognised that by tagging its approval as subject to final permission from Mr Wetere, he said.

“As the administering authority of the reserve we expected the Minister to refer the matter to us and so we voiced our opinion,” Cr Burn said. He expected Mr Wetere to seek the council’s opinion on a management plan for the reserve once he received the application from the promoters. He also expected the commission to take note of the council’s view because it was the administering authority. That is not good enough for Mr Hindmarsh. He says the council gave the impression that it had the authority to grant a lease. The council had been used as a platform to launch the project, he said.

At the April meeting, Cr Mollie Clark had moved that the council rescind its approval of the lease. She cited doubts that the council had the authority to grant the lease. The motion was lost, as was the suggestion to seek a legal opinion.

Mr Hindmarsh said the council should still rescind its approval and apologise for misleading the people of Christchurch.

One of the promoters of the project, Mr Peter Yeoman, said his company, Payeo Holdings, applied to the City Council because it had been advised that the council was the delegated authority for the reserve. He expected the council to refer the application to the Minister for final approval. The promoters also wrote to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, specifically about a Lands and Survey-run reserve adjoining Mount Cavendish, and enclosing a copy of all applications made for the gondola project.

Planning permission for the project must come from the territorial authorities, Heathcote and Lyttelton. Other approvals are needed from the Minister of Lands, under the Summit Road Protection Act, the Reserves Act, and possibly also under the Water and Soil Conservation Act. Mr Hindmarsh also queried who was actually applying for the lease.

The name on the application was Payeo Holdings. He had checked the Companies Office and found a Payeo Developments registered but not a Payeo Holdings.

He believed the company would have to reapply under its correct name.

Mr Yeoman confirmed that Payeo Holdings was the name of the company handling the project.