A booming suburb

Press, 25 September 1987, Page 22

A booming suburb

■Riccarton seems to be expanding mere quickly than any other suburb around.” Mr Kevin Riley, easterner Services Supervisor at the new Riecarton office, expresses a view seemingly shared by many in the business community.

SXM-U.’s general manager, Mr Brace McKessar, echoes his confidence, describing Riccarton as an “up and coming” suburb in which it’s well worth while to be a property holder.

Certainly over IMM clients currently serviced by the Riccarton office would seem to make their new building a wise investment. In fact, according to Mr

Riley, this office holds the third most policies in the South Island, despite losing some of it’s territory to the recently opened Spreydon and Hornby offices.

Mr Riley sees the growing popularity of suburban offices as a result of people’s reluctance to venture into the city.

He believes people would rather go to Riccarton, with it’s comprehensive and ever-in-creasing list of facilities, than make the longer trip to town only to grapple with urban parking problems.

Mr McKessar cites Hagley Park as a psychological barrier between the suburbs and the tensions of the city. Riccarton is therefore ideally situated for those wishing to avoid the city.

But whatever the reasons, Riccarton is definitely booming. The

relatively “sky-scraping -0 SULU, building is only the latest to spring up, with Queen Street-like edifices seeming to sprout from every earner. As both Mr Riley and Mr McKessar commented, Riccarton is a suburb with “potential.’’