THE PROPOSED ROYAL ARCADE PURCHASE: A BURNING QUESTION WHICH DUNEDIN RATEPAYERS WILL SETTLE TO-DAY.
For many years the question of the purchase of the Royal Arcade by the Dunedin City Corporation has occupied public attention. To-day a poll of the ratepayers is being taken on a proposal to borrow £26,500 for the purchase of the Arcade property, and an unusual amount of attention has been given to the matter. If the proposal is carried a new street 66 feet wide will be constructed to connect High and Maclaggan streets, the purpose being to relieve present traffic congestion. Opinions appear to be very much divided on the utility of the proposal, and the financial aspect of the matter has been widely discussed. The property has been offered to the City Council on several occasions. In 1916 the Arcade was offered to the council for the sum of £21,500. A reply was sent that the price was excessive. It was again offered in 1920 for £26,000, and a similar reply was given. In July of the same year it was offered at £17.500. but no action was taken. The recent negotiations arose after the abandonment of the new theatre proposal. The council was written to by a syndicateto ascertain whether it would entertain the acquiring of sufficient land to form a 40ft street or a wider one. The syndicate was asked to name a price, which was stated to be £25,000 for a chain road, or £13,500 for a 48ft 6in road. The Works Committee considered that now was the time to secure the land before any permanent improvements were put in hand. After negotiations, definite offers were secured for a 48ft 6in strip on the eastern side for £13,500, or a 66ft street for £22,000. Apart from the merits of the proposal and the decision of the ratepayers, the Royal Arcade has an illiSXSali—lt—a__yexy__old_ landmark, and at one time was a very popular shopping centre. It has been used as a public right-of-way for over sixty years.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Witness, Issue 3886, 4 September 1928, Page 41
Word Count
336THE PROPOSED ROYAL ARCADE PURCHASE: A BURNING QUESTION WHICH DUNEDIN RATEPAYERS WILL SETTLE TO-DAY. Otago Witness, Issue 3886, 4 September 1928, Page 41
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