Access Road Scheme Dropped

Te Puke Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 48, 28 June 1949, Page 2

Access Road Scheme Dropped

UNWBLLSMGNESB OF PROPERTY OWNERS

MAYOR RELUCTANT TO SEE SCHEME ABANDONED

Ai the monthly- meeting of the Te Puke Borough Council recently, it was decided that the matter of an access road at the rear of the shop premises on the northern side of the town be dropped in the meantime. The Councillors considered that it would require considerable co - operation from the property owners to bring the idea to fruition and judging from the paucity of replies from the owners in the last couple of months, this was not forthcoming. The Mayor (Mr W. E. Hookey) said he was very reluctant to see the scheme abandoned as, in taking the long view, he was sure that it would be a distinct advantage to the town. He was disappointed that the shop owners did not see it that way. Cr E. H. Raymond said that there did not seem to be a move on the part of the owners. He estimated that a fairly heavy cost of £9OO to £IOOO would be involved, and as the majority of the ratepayers would not receive a direct benefit he had come to the conclusion that the proposal should be left at the present time, and perhaps re-opened at some future date. , Cr L. E. Manning thought that 80 to 85 per cent, of the benefit from the right-of-way would be derived by the shopkeepers. He added that if the shopkeepers did not want it, he could see why the ratepayers should shoulder the costs. The Mayor considered that the fact that some of the shops already had a right-of-way robbed the project of quite a bit of incentive. , Cr Manning: The Worship’s baby has been still-born. In reply the Mayor said that he preferred the comment that, “it had been strangled very shortly after birth.”