City Council hedges bets on tower

Press, 22 September 1987, Page 1

City Council hedges bets on tower

By

KAY FORRESTER

The Christchurch City Council will go ahead with a hearing on the proposed tower for Victoria Square, although it has withdrawn approval for the specific proposal by Tourist Towers, Ltd.

The council debated the tower proposal for 2J4 hours last evening before a crowded public gallery which at times hissed or cheered speakers, it was a debate marked by amendments and altered motions. “What’s your interpretation?” asked Mr Jamie Tulloch, spokesman for the Victoria Square tower developer, after the debate. The council’s decision to withdraw the approval it gave last month for the Tourist Towers, Ltd, proposal but allow the scheme change proposed to accommodate the 167 m tower to go to a town-planning hearing had some councillors and staff asking the same question. Councillors opted by 10 votes to nine — Cr Hori Brennan was absent from the meeting — to rescind in part the approval they gave the $2O million project last month. The council withdrew its own consent as landowner for the Tourist Towers proposal for a 167 m tower at the corner of Victoria Square. But it threw over to a townplanning hearing — probably of three independent commissioners — the question of a tower in Victoria Square. It did not rescind its approval to initiate a change it its District Scheme to rezone Victoria Square as a recreation development zone that would allow an observation tower. Scheme Change 17 does not make any reference to the Tourist Towers proposal but the ob-

servation tower it refers to is based on the Tourist Tower model and includes diagrams of the Tourist Towers plan to show the concept Mr Tulloch, who led a presentation by the developer to the council at the meeting, was reluctant to comment on the council’s decision until an official interpretation of the decision was given. He believed that the townplanning hearing would not be specific to the Tourist Towers proposal but would deal with the general question of a tower for Victoria Square. That opened the question of approval for the scheme change allowing a tower which could prompt other developers to pick up the Tourist Towers’ idea. If that happened and the council was faced with competing proposals, Mr Tulloch believed the council had a moral obligation to Tourist Towers. “Messy, that’s the word for it We will have to look at it tomorrow and decide what we will do,” he said last evening. Asked if the proposal by his company was still alive, he said the directors would consider that today. The City Planner, Mr John Dryden, confirmed last evening that the proposed scheme change was not specific to the Tourist Towers proposal but it was specific to the sort of tower under j consideration by the council and , as outlined , in the change itself. Whether any other developer

could produce a design too similar to Tourist Towers was open to question. He expected Tourist Towers would have status at the townplanning hearing, but that too was a matter for interpretation today. Mr Dryden said the procedure for the planning hearing, halted last month when the notice of motion calling for the rescinding of the approval for the project was submitted, would begin again. The scheme change would be advertised and submissions called for. The closing date would be extended to December 4. The scheme change would go to a hearing unless the council decided to withdraw the change, he said. Councillors have already indicated that the hearing should be held by three commissioners because of its interest in the matter as landowner. The council will still have to decide the matter of a tower — and which tower — in Victoria Square. From the hearing the commissioners will make a recommendation to the council on the general principle and the council will have to decide on that and whether, as landowner, it approves a particular project The council last evening also rescinded the third part of the three-part approval last month for a report, from the council’s project team on landscape work within Victoria Square.