Artificial basin advocated

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 9

Artificial basin advocated

An artificial Wigram East basin would help hold flood levels around the Heathcote River, Paparoa County councillors were told last evening. Members of the Christchurch Drainage Board attended the council’s town planning committee meeting to outline the options it has identified for the Heathcote River catchment plan. The use of the Wigram East basin to prevent flooding was first sug-

gested in a 1985 report, and has been retained as the theme of the Catchment Planning Advisory Group’s proposal. Minor channel works around the river are also suggested. The Drainage Board’s chief engineer, Mr Peter Hunt, said that the basin was only a paddock at present, but with some development, such as a low embankment, it would lower the flow rate of the water coming from the

river. He said there could be a slight increase in the flooding in the Henderson Road retention basin. However, the low cost of adopting the use of the Wigram East basin was the main consideration. The Drainage Board representatives believed that the Paparua Council would be well served by the flooding improvements, and said they would have little detrimental effect on the

county. The options presented were not final proposals, and the board intends to hold future discussions with the council. Concern was expressed by Cr Jim Baker at the number of people who received planning consent from the council, but did not conform to all the conditions required. Cr Baker said he had looked at two properties which had received consent to build dwellings,

and had found that they had not done all the things stated at the time their application was approved. The chairman, Mr E. C. Britnell, said that if an applicant could not comply with the conditions on their application they should come back to the council and tell it so. He suggested that council staff might be able to prepare a report on the matter early next year.