LYALL BAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 807, 3 May 1910, Page 3

LYALL BAY.

OFFER TO COUNCIL. \ PRINCIPLE OF- PURCHASE APPROVED. A special meeting of the City Council was held yesterday afternoon to consider an offer of land at tho east end of Lyall Bay, made by the trustees of the Crawford estate. There were present: The Mayor (Dr. Newman), Councillors Luke, Smith, Cohen, Ballinger, Frost, Trevor, Devino, Morrah, AtkinEOn, Carmichael, and M'Laren, M.P. Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., Mayor-elect, listened' to tho discussion. Tho Mayor explained that the trustees were willing to sell 21 acres, deducting from that the area necessary for a road, and their price was .£IBO per acre, which was the amount of the Government valuation. The trustees would meet tho council further by giving them a chainwide road right round high-water mark for a length of 40 chains, the concession being equivalent to fonr acres, provided the trustees could get two or three cross roads to give their property access to the Beacli Eoad. Councillor Luke advised purchasing the land without further delay; otherwise, if the council wanted the land later for a road round the beach they might have to pay very heavy compensation. Councillor Smith thought that the purchase was within the council's means. Councillor Trevor approved the purchase. Allowing for concessions by ■ the trustees, the council would be paying £121 an acre. . . . ..... -.. Councillor Ballinger said the . Finance Committee had understood that the Mayor would ask the ' trustees if they would make alternative offers, one for a piece of land two chains wide, and tho other for the 24 acres. The Mayor said that the trustees were waiting outside, and that question could be put to them.' • ■ . ■ , Councillor Ballinger suggested that Miramar would benefit by the purchase as much as the city, , and should be asked to pay its portion of the cost. Councillor Trevor replied that there would be.no. benefit to Miramar, since tho council's cars wero running to the beach. Councillor Carmichael oaasidered that the whole block should be purchased if it was desired to have a recreation ground. ■ ■ Councillor Morrah moved that the land be purchased on the terms offered by the trustees. Tho position was that if tho council 'did not purchase now the land would be sold within tho next few weeks. Mr. Anies, the.city treasurer, was quite satisfied that a very good bargain was •offered- to the council at the jrice. If the council wished to sell the land again it could do so at a handsome profit. Councillor Cohen seconded the motion. Councillor Frost urged that provision should be made that tho roads through the block should be constructed at the trustees' expense, and that the roads should be unfenced. Councillor Devine complained that there was bo detailed scheme before tho oouncil. No offer in writing had been received from the trustees, and the council did not know tho position of'the road which the trustees were prepared to give. Ho was in-favour of securing the foreshore for'the citizens, but he thought that no more land should be purchased than was necessary to givo effect to that. Tho council had eight acres at Lyall Bay now, and before they could make them of ony uso to tho city, thej would have to spend close on .£IO,OOO. He. thought that .£l5O an acre was enough to pay, seeing what the council would do to increase the value of the remaining property. He moved as an amendment that the' mattor stand adjourned till more detailed information was before the council. Councillor M'Laron, in seconding the amending, said he thought that the -policy of securing this land was a very good one. The Mayor pointed out that practically all the council could do at that meeting- was. to'pass a.resolution to go on with the negotiations for purchase. There, .were many other questions to be discussed before the matter was finally settled. There was the matter of surveys, and as eight or ten acres of the land were in the Miramar Borough, the plans for ■ reading would have to be approved by tho Miramar Borough Council. The question of where the road should go would have to be considered by the Finance Committee. .. .-■ A discussion took place as'to the exact terms of tho trustees in regard to roading, and the Hon. T. W. Hislop and Mr. A. E. Pearce, who wero outside the council room, sent in successive written statements of their position as follow:— "We propose that out of tho area there shall be deducted the area required for the continuation of a chain-wide road on the beach, also sufficient area for two roads to intersect the land between such road and the estate's property, tho position of such two roads to be hereafter determined; the trustees not to be responsible for the formation of such intersecting roods or beach road. They, of course, will make the road ;ip to the corporation land when their land is subdivided. The price of the land is £180 per acre, after making all the deductions. "We are quite willing to make the (lores by areas, say 20 feet wide, and the determination of what kind of traffic should be permitted can be left to the council." Councillor Luke opposed the amendment, imd stated that undoubtedly the council was at one as to tho advisableness of purchasing the- land. He suggested the following addition to Councillor Morrah's motion:—"Subject to;the condition that the formation of the streets that the vendors wish to have carried through the council's land must be carried out at tho vendors' expanse." It was agreed to acid these words to the motion. • Councillor Atkinson was satisfied with the price required, but objected' to' the stipulations as regards reading. . The amendment was lost by 7 votes to 5. Councillor Ballinger then moved a further amendment that the council purchase 2i acres, wifhout any stipulations whatever, for £3M. . , ' Councillor Frost seconded this' amendment, which was carried by 8 votes to 4 the voting being as follows':—For the amendment: Tho Mayor, Councillors Ballmger, Cohen, Frost, Luke, Morrah, bmith, and Trevor; against the amendment: Councillors Atkinson, Cannichael Devine, and M'Laren.