Gondola battle gains

Press, 21 July 1988, Page 6

Gondola battle gains

By

SUZANNE KEEN

A campaign to reverse the decision disallowing the use of the Mount Cavendish Reserve for the Port Hills gondola has gained momentum with the support of the Waimairi District Council.

The council decided last evening to join other local authorities and interested parties in urging the Minister of Conservation, Ms Clark, to review the gondola decision. The District Chairman, Mrs Margaret Murray, said the Conservation Department’s decision not to allow the gondola on the reserve had been made “in house” by local staff and members of the department. In contrast, the gondola application through the planning process had involved a full assessment of the pros and cons with the parties able to present evidence in person to the Planning Tribunal. “The public statement by the local Conservation Department manager that

he would not be taking the tribunal decision into account indicates a degree of arrogance and ignorance quite unbecoming a Government department,” Mrs Murray said. She described the matter as one of a growing number of examples where the heavy hand of a Government department was meddling in local and regional issues.

“This council strongly supports the establishment of tourist facilities which will bring more people to . Christchurch and Canterbury and make them stay longer. The gondola is such a project and Christchurch should unite in support for it,” Mrs Murray said.

Cr John Hanafin said that the department had

cost Canterbury thousands of dollars by staying out of the planning process and then coming in to “veto the whole thing.”

The council also decided to ask the Minister for the Environment, Mr Palmer, to look at the role of local and regional authorities and their scope for decisions affecting reserves in the present review of resourceuse legislation.

Earlier this week Christchurch City councillors said the Conservation Department decision not to allow the gondola on the reserve was at odds with the community’s wishes. It decided that a council deputation should ask the Minister of Conservation to review the decision.