Runanga Borough To Seek Permit To Pave Footpaths

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 September 1947, Page 10

Runanga Borough To Seek Permit To Pave Footpaths

' The proposal of the Runanga Borough Council to proceed’ with .the concreting of footpath's in McGowan : street has received a set-back, the district building controller, in a. tetter received by the council at its meeting last evening, stating that the work may not proceed until a permit has been granted.. .. The. controller wrote as follows: My attention-has .been drawn to a statement in the Greymouth Evening Star setting out your council’s intention co Complete the. concrete paving on both sides of McGowan street, No doubt your council has overlooked the fact. that the use of cement for concrete paving is not permitted except with the preceding consent of the building controller. In order

that your proposals may be considered, would you please, forward a written .application to the local representative of the building controller setting out details concerning the length of paving proposed, width and thickness of concrete path, and also state your reasons why alternatives such as a shingle footpath or a tarsealed footpath would not be suitable. Cr J. J. Devine said the council should not let the matter rest, as it had put it off long enough. It should press to have one side of the street paved in concrete. The council received no finance from coal by way of royalty or rates, such .as other mining districts did. The. residents had been deprived of footpaths for years. A start should be made and something achieved before the present council went out of office.

Application for Permit Cr Devine’moved that application be made for a permit to concrete one side of the street, and that the member for the district and the Minister of Mines be asked for assistance. The motion was seconded by Cr S. Braithwaite and carried. Present at the meeting were the Mayor (Mr E. W. Kennedy) and Crs Devine, Braithwaite, W. Wright and R. Nelson. The Mines Department applied for water to be supplied to a State mine House at Dunollie.—Granted. The State Advances Department advised that the water supply loan would be due for redemption on November 1, 1948, and the sum then remaining would be £8202 7s 4d. It was suggested that if the council desired an extension, of' the loan negotiations should be commenced now.— ft was decided to make application to the Government Loans Board for a renewal of the loan for a further period of 10 years on the remaining

amount. The Commissioner of Crown Lands advised that the Minister of Lands had approved a grant to the Runanga Rugby League Club of playing rights over one playing gropnd at the domain for a term of seven years with the right of renewal for a further seven years, the annual rental to be £7 10s for the first term. It was stated that the permit will stipulate that the club will have the use of one ground during the football season each, year, and that the erection of buildings will not be permited." If at a later date the Domain Board considers the erection of a grandstand necessary,, the proposal will be reviewed.

The Mayor said the provision against building would not matter, as part of the area required by the club was not on the domain, and the council could grant permission to build there. It was decided to advise the club of the terms of-the letter.

Building Permit

One application for a building permit was received. This showed the value of the proposed building at £320, the cost of materials only, it being the intention of the owner to erect the building himself. It was pointed out that the value of the permit must be the. real value of the building as an asset, and not merely the cost of materials. Subject to this amendment, and to the approval of the building inspector, the council offered no objection, The foreman reported that the stone crusher had been repaired, and 50 yards of beach shingle had been crushed and placed on the roads. Ninety-six feet of 9-inch concrete pipes had been laid in Inverness street drain, and most residents had filled in and levelled the piped drain fronting then- properties. Eleven 2ft 6in-pipes had been laid fronting a property in McGowan street. Mr L. Smithson, Dunollie, wrote complaining of the overgrowth of gorse on the neighbouring land, which, he stated, was a potential danger to his property.—Referred to the foreman.

The Department of Health wrote asking that half of the building permit fees received by the council should be remitted to the department in return for the services of the building inspector.—Approved.