Shopping centre may be planned for Broomfield

Press, 24 February 1987, Page 6

Shopping centre may be planned for Broomfield

A block of Broomfield land set aside for a shopping centre has won a reprieve from the Paparua County Council's town planning committee.

The I.2ha commerci-ally-zoned block in Vanguard Drive is owned by the Housing Corporation, who want it redesignated to Residential 1.

The corporation originally sought to have the block zoned commercial, Envisaging a neighbourhood tavern and shops for the burgeoning suburb, after the Hornby Licensing Trust expressed an interest in a tavern there.

A number of parties took the prospect of a tavern to the Planning Tribunal but the appeal failed and the change was made in 1979.

But the Hornby Licensing Trust has since pulled out of the tavern proposal and in spite of the area’s potential, the corporation has been unable to find other commercially interested parties.

There had been a couple of inquiries, however, by residential developers, said the assistant county planner, Mr V. Vabulis. While residents did not generally seem to favour a tavern, Broomfield was expected to grow and perhaps need at least a shopping centre, he said.

Most of the 300 lots had still to be built on, but it was estimated that Broomfield would eventually house 1300 people. There was also the possibility of a further 50 lots being created on former Railway land north of the Broomfield block.

Councillors seemed generally in favour of protecting the land for a possible shopping centre. “Obviously the area is barely half developed,” said Cr Denis Cunningham. Cr Jim Baker said it would be a "retrograde step” to rush the decision. The county chairman, Mr Jack Pethig, said a notified scheme-change hearing would give everyone a say before the council made a decision. He advocated Mr Vabulis’ recommendation

that the matter be looked at in more depth by the council’s district scheme reviews sub-committee first and said that in spite of the Housing Corporation’s wishes, there should be no rush to make a premature decision. The committee recommended that the issue be examined by the review sub-committee.

Factory

A sweet factory may replace the closing Ernest Hayes agricultural machinery plant in Templeton. The factory had been bought by Westminster Corporation, Ltd, which planned to set up a con-

fectionery plant for one of its subsidiaries, Candy Lane, Ltd, said Mr Vabulis.

It now sought planning approvaland asked tor an extension to the existinguse right The previous company had not complied with the zone’s permitted uses either but was granted rights because it had been established so long, he said. Candy Lane said it intended to make “natural” confectionery and believed a semi-rural site was important, for its image, especially for exporting. He said about 30 people would be employed.

Councillors felt however, that “making choco-

lates” was quite different from machinery manufacturing and as such, was not an existing use. Approval as an existing use would mean the application would also miss a public hearing, and it was felt the residents should have a chance to be heard. Planner

A new county planner has been appointed to the Paparua County. He is Mr Bob Nixon, at present senior planner with the Ministry of Works and Development in Christchurch. He succeeds Mr Ken Lawn, who has become senior planner for the Christchurch City Council.