A SUBDIVISION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 21, 25 January 1940, Page 9

A SUBDIVISION

EXHIBITION HOTEL

KILBIRNIE RESERVE SITE

An application by the Land Transfer? * Office for a plan of the proposed sub- .^

division of part ot the Kilbirhxe Re- r creation Reserve was granted by th« ', City Council last night. Doubt was \ expressed by several councillors as to the possible permanent separation o£ /' the area from the recreation area, but they were •assured, by the City Solici- * tor that "the action; being .taken could , " not have permanent effects without '■£ the consent of the council. *■? Asked why it was necessary to sub- 4 divide, Mr. Hislop said the Exhibition l\ Hotel was on part of it, and the owners „ / of the hotel could not be properly' ,A granted' a lease; nor could the council *j carry out. the. arrangements it had made with them, without a plan. ' \* Councillor L. McKenzie: Is there not > -^ a probability of the lease being continued after the Exhibition? __ Any such proposition would have to , come bef<ye the council, replied Mr. v Hisldp, but; what was wanted at the ~i moment was the definition of the subdivision to' make a lease possible. That was only one c point, said Coun- i cillor R. McKeen: - Things drifted on. -^ and finaUy,became^policy. He hoped , < it was not IhW suggestion' that any part of that ground..;would eventually re- r ... main subdivided, and that,-if the lease . T proposed were1 for, say five years, at 5 the' end of thal§|time the land 'would„ go back, making the whole a recrea-^ ;, tion ground. He would oppose^ apyf idea of' Separating, for all time'any ,* part of the reserve. '? Mr. Hislop: Personally lam in cjn- \ tire accord with you. This plan is merely to carry out an existing arrangement. The area is 1 acre i rood 3 perches.' V * Had not the council approached the t Government at one time when the land was.being,reclaimed to be allqwed to/ /* use part of it for ; commercial purposes? asked douncillor McKenzie. The City Solicitor (Mr. J. O'Shea) \ said that was so; the council could use one-fourth of the land for such, purposes. % Councillor McKenzie foresaw the " t possibility of putting power in the c hand^ of somebody else that could be " : used against, the city. - " It was obvious that an attempt was being made to commercialise the area, '\ said Councillor McKeen, who thought < that the whole thing was wrong. The \ circumstances in. connection with the '~ Exhibition which prompted councillors to deal with a. particular area had changed, but so long as the area was \? safeguarded and the ground leased for *< a period of five years only, he thought it would'be all right. There was something about it all which was not very clear, said Councillor R. A. Wright.; Why did the lessees want an acre and a half? There was quite a narrow area down, one side of the building, said Mr. His- ' lop. On the south side there was a parking area, and at the back a washhouse and drying /. area: The area I sought was no more than was necessary. ; T If the City Solicitor was satisfied < that nothing was being done that would affect the position later on, said Councillor Wright, nothing' permanent. . . « Whether it was temporary or permanent, said Mr. O'Shea, would rest en« ; tirely in the hands of the council. All that was needed was a plan to define the area, said the Mayor; th«

lease had been granted. The plan produced was approved^ Councillor McKenzie dissenting.