GREATER CHRISTCHURCH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10143, 3 May 1911, Page 2

GREATER CHRISTCHURCH.

THE CASE FOR FURTHER EXTENSION. VIEWS OF MR H. G. ELL, M.P. An important municipal question which seems to have been almost lost sight of during the elections just past is that of the extension of the city's boundaries so as to include the whole of the more thickly populated suburban districts under one administration.

The pros and cons of the matter were discussed some years ago, and in the meantime the city has been augmented by a considerable suburban area formerly controlled by Borough Councils or Road Boards. The plans of those wlio originated the Greater Christchurch movement have not, however, been carried out in their entirety, and with a view to ascertaining the position of affairs with regard to future extensions, a "Star" reporter this morning interviewed Mr H. G. Ell, M.P., one of the pioneers of the movement for city extension. Mr Ell was asked to state the case for extension, and to give his opinion as to what districts should be incorporated in the urban area, and in dealing with the question of boundaries he said that the area planned out by him in 1903 was as follows From Archer's Bridge, Lincoln Road (near Asylum), along the Heathcote River to Ferry Bridge; thence along the estuary to Canal Reserve; along Canal Reserve to Buckley's Roacl: thence eastwards to the Old New Brighton Road; thence to Woodham Road, and along Woodliam Road to the road leading to the Dallington Bridge, crossing over bridge and running in a north-easterly direction to the city boundary at back of St Albans Ward, at Hill's Road; along the St Albans boundary to Norman's Road; thence taking in the thickly populated part of Fendalton, and crossing over on to the Riccarton Road via Straven Road; along Riccarton Road west to Middleton Road, and from thence back to the starting point.;

Mr Ell said he was still of opinion that the area thus defined should be brought within the city boundaries. In the hrst place, the amalgamation would place Christchurch before the_ outer world in a more prominent position as a centre of population, which should be of advantage to the community generally. The districts brought in would have the benefit of the City Council's engineering staff, its road-making and road maintenance plant, its facilities for street watering, ancl the* facilities afforded for the destruction of rubbish at the city destructor. The disposal of rubbish was a very serious problem for the districts outside the city. Sydenham residents, before their district became part of the city, used to have to bury rubbish in the ground on their own premises, or else dump it into gravel pits, where it became a public nuisance. The use of the city's plant in the matter o$ roads must also mean a more efficient service to the districts brought in. There were also necessary works for the improvement of certain districts which could not be carried out on' the financial resources of the present small controlling bodies. One such work was the formation of a drive or avenue along the banks .of the Heathcote River, starting at Lincoln Road at Archer's Bridge and following the river right along to the Ferry Bridge. _ If such a road were formed, and the river banks planted with suitable trees, it would prove one of the finest attractions of the city both for visitors and residents. The amalgamation would carry with it other advantages, in that it would introduce the system of rating on land values and broaden the franchise.

Some complaints were made by residents in Sydenham, Linwood and St Albans that they had not gained mar terially by their inclusion in the city. He believed those residents were taking a mistaken view of the position, and that if the ward accounts for expenditure were kept separately, and rates recovered in each ward in proportion to each ward's expenditure, the ratepayers in those districts would pay considerably more than the present rate of 2£d in the pound. The reason for this lay in the disproportion between the ratable value of land in. the Central Ward and that in the other wards. There was land in the Central Ward valued at £36,000 per quarter-acre, while the average value of land per quarter in the other wards was not above £l2O. It was an interesting fact in this connection that 18f acres of land in the Central Ward had an unimproved ratable value of £830,000, while the ratable value of the whole of the 1300 acres in Sydenham Ward stood at between £506,000 and £507,000. Another advantage of amalgamation would be that it would facilitate the making of by-laws regulating the minimum area of land' on which a dwelling could be erected. This was an important matter which should receive the early consideration of the new City Council. There was already some very close building going on in districts where there was no necessity at all for crowding. In North Linwood, before the amalgamation. with the city, sections of land of au area of about seventeen perches were offered for sale. In Johnston Street, Spreydon, there were quite a number of houses situated on sections of only eleven perches, while in Rosowarne Street there were a number more built on fourteen-perch sections. It could not be contended that rating on land valuation was the cause of this crowding as these sections were laid out long before that system of rating was even discussed. He was of opinion that by-laws preventing this kind of thing should not only be made operative within the city boundaries, but in every district touching the boundaries.

Dealing with what had been done in recent years in the way of city extension, Mr Ell said that Beckenham and Fisherton had I teen included in tho city on a petition of the residents, and the residents were abundantly satisfied with the result. More recently North Linwood, with Avonside, petitioned for inclusion. The first petition failed, through dissension among Avonsicfe residents, but North Linwood renewed its application and wan finally included in the city. The Cashmere residents also petitioned for inclusion, but an objection by a section of the residents was upheld by the Government. The Spreydon district had promoted two petitions for amalgamation with the old Sydenham borough, both petitions failing. There was at present a movement afoot in Opawa to amalgamate with the city that part of the district bounded by the railway, Wilson's Road and tho River Heath-cote, and the Lower Riccarton residents were debating whether they should join the new Fendalton borough or amalgamate with tho city. He was of opinion they would be wise to seek inclusion in the city. The old method of petitioning, leaving the road open for a counter-peti-tion, was now falling into disuse, and the method of holding a poll at the request. of 10 per cent of the residents was being adopted. He believed that this would facilitate the amalgamation o- many of the outlying districts.