Calls Borough Council 'A Lot Of Autocrats'

Northern Advocate, 26 May 1949, Page 6

Calls Borough Council 'A Lot Of Autocrats'

“THE Whangarei Borough Council is a lot of autocrats. “We are just like a lot of lambs being led to the slaughter.” These remarks were made by the Government representative on the Whangarei Harbour Board (Mr K. H. Allan) today when the board was considering the borough council’s plan to .declare most of the board’s endowment lands as public open spaces under the town planning scheme.

Discussion arose when a letter was received from Mr L. G. E. Hunt, who perused the town planning map on behalf of the board in order to report on the board’s proposals to subdivide part of the endowment lands into residential sections.

“Upon examination of the proposed town planning map it is ascertained that Endowment H, with the exception of the south-east corner, is to be set apart as a public open space,” Mr Hunt stated.

“It is also proposed to make all the board’s endowment lands on both sides of the Hatea River upstream from Victoria Bridge, and Endowment J, between Portland Road and Dundas Road, into public open spaces. “The effect of this proposal will be to preclude your board from subdividing any of the land into residential or commercial sections,” the report concluded. “NOT CONSULTED” “The council’s town planning committee was supposed to cooperate with us, but I don’t call this sort of thing cooperation,” said the chairman (Mr E. L. Whimp). "A new residential area is needed in Whangarei. “Now we find that, without consulting us, the committee has declared our lands to be open spaces.” Mr H. E. Hewlett: This plan will leave us almost without endowments Mr W. M. Fraser moved that the board should consult a solicitor to ascertain the legal aspects of the case, and whether the board would be entitled to compensation, and on what basis.

"We have spent thousands of pounds on those reclamations,” he added. His motion was carried.