BLOW TO EDGECUMBE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 53, 2 March 1945, Page 5

BLOW TO EDGECUMBE

NO FURTHER SUB-DIVISIONS

FUTURE PROGRESS , JEOPARDISED A bomb-shell was exploded at the meeting of the Whakatane County Council last Tuesday when a letter from the SurveyorGeneral notified that no further approval for sub-divisional undertakings in the Edgecumbe township would be granted. This information arose out of a query stent forward by the Council with reference to< Mrs H. Mw Wateh's sub-division. Plain's representatives were strong in their protests and emphatic in their criticism of this Departmental decision if carried! into l effect would 1 limit Edgecumbe's expansion for all time to its present size. The letter which caused the surprise read as under: — "Referring to your letter of the 23rd and previous correspondence I have now to advise that as a result of the investigations carried out the Chief Drainage Engineer and the Chief the present site of the town of Edgecumbe is not considered suitable for further .sub-division as a town, and no further schemes will be recommended for the Hon. Minister's, approval under the Act. At the present time I am unable to advise as to what particular area would be recommended, as suitable for subdivision as further investigations will have to lie carried out before any decision can be aimed at. In the meantime I am considering Mrs Walsh's application for the cancellation of her scheme of sub-division." "What possible chance has Edgecumbe of any industrial expansion?" asked Cr Hunter with some heat. "The whole position is utterly ridiculous, and if it i& unsafe to build houses at Edgecumbe, it is unsafe to build them anywhere else on the Plains." The Clerk stated that the only coursc left open to Edgecumbe under the existing terms of the letter would lie that land-owners could build houses to let but it would j 3 be illegal to sub-divide. Cr Mccracken -termed the purport of the letter to be 'too tough-alto-gether ' and showing a total lack £ of local knowledge. Possibly he thought, the decision was due to the flooding last but that was caused through the stopbanks being too low, and could be easily remedied. To say that Edgecumbe was not suitable for closer settlement was absurd. Edgecumbe could always be made safe as a centre, and he would like the Surveyor-General to meet local representatives on the spot and thrash this thing out. They had no right to impede the progress of a rising township.

The Chairman: What they may have in mintl is that in the event of building up a high stopfaarik there ? as they intend a the possibility of the river breaking through would be very dangerous to the town. Cr MeGougan declared that the Council should fight such a decision. Edgecumbe must grow s irrespective of what was thought in other parts of New and a district like the Rangitaiki should not be held back. The meeting decided that the Sur-veyor-General be asked to hold up the approval of the cancellation of Walsh's sub-divisional scheme; that it was emphatic in its disagreement with the policy of the SurveyorGeneral that Edgecumbe was unsuitable for further sub-divisions ) and that the Minister concerned should be written to and invited to confer with the Council on the subject together with the two M Ps. interested.