Residents to fund-raise

Press, 15 February 1989, Page 9

Residents to fund-raise

By

SUZANNE KEEN

Residents opposed to the widening of Fendalton Road have had to resort to street collections, sales tables and garage sales as means of raising the money needed to continue their fight. The Fendalton Road action group’s spokeswoman, Miss Leone Stewart, said it was still paying off bills totalling $23,000 incurred during the Planning Tribunal hearing last year of the issue. It is now having to prepare for the reconvening of the tribunal, after the Waimairi District Council’s decision on Monday evening to push ahead for a four-lane road with a median strip and bus and parking bays. In an interim decision the tribunal had asked the council to further investigate an option that required little land to be taken from property frontages. After new evidence from Waimairi and the reaffirmation of the council’s original proposal, the tribunal has to meet again to make a final decision on the matter. Miss Stewart said the hearing might not reconvene for several months. The action group was not sure if it would have to call witnesses to reappear, but if this was the case it would cost even more money. “The fund-raising is just ongoing. When we began the battle four years ago people would just sign cheques at the door, but naw we are having to do

all the usual fund-raising things.” Mr Earl Bennett, the chairman of the Association of Fendalton Residents, which lodged the appeal to the tribunal, said it was difficult to keep residents informed about where the widening issue was at. One of the most important tasks was to sustain their interest and gain funding. “I do not think we can afford not to go back to the tribunal. Everybody is keen to see it through to its conclusion.” Mr Bennett and Miss Stewart said they were not surprised that the council decided to go ahead with its original option for widening. “They certainly had a chance to reassess their position and they chose not to,” said Miss Stewart. “I would have been astounded if they had done anything else.” She said it had seemed the council was being “open minded” at the beginning of the meeting, when several councillors spoke against the widening, but as it went on the outcome had become clear. t One of Miss Stewart’s main concerns now was that the council would proceed with the purchase of land it may not need. “It is up to individual residents to make their own decision whether to sell, but I. would hope people would hold the land until the matter is decided by the tribunal,” she said. ar

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