EDGECUMBES FUTURE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 20, 4 September 1946, Page 5

EDGECUMBES FUTURE

QUESTION OF BUILDING SITES COUNTY COUNCIL’S ATTITUDE An interesting comparison of ideas on the prospective development of Edgecumbe occurred at the County Council meeting last week, when an application came forward from Messrs. Waugh and Walsh, builders, who desired to erect a part wood and fibrolite building within the brick area. The subject immediately brought to the fore the recent enactment by the Minister for Lands, forbidding any further sub-divisions in the township.

Cr Leslie declared that in view of the Minister’s definite pronouncement in this respect, the Council had been asked to discourage building as much as possible. He felt that at least the applicants should be warned that they were building at their own risk. “We can’t stop people building in Edgecumbe,” declared Cr Hunter. “Already there are many businessmen and others willing to build there and take the risk.” He took the opposing view that the Council should encourage building at Edgecumbe, where, with mill hands and factory hands and others, there were no less than 200 workers. He could safely say that there was the need for 200 houses in Edgecumbe. It was ridiculous to talk of an alternative site at Awakeri several miles away, and in the event of the Government’s proposals being brought into force, the residents of the existing town, desired the new' township to be given a distinct and new name.

Cr Leslie hastened to agree with all Cr Hunter had said, pointing out that he only thought the Council in duty bound to pass on the warning to prospectiye builders. Cr McCracken was of the opinion, that the Government action in itself should act as a warning. He personally felt that Edgecumbe would remain in its present position irrespective of what the Government did, but if the new stopbank were duly surveyed and defined, he felt it the duty of the Council to see that no new buildings were erected beyond it. He intimated that the special committee of residents set up to safeguard the interests of the towfiship had taken steps to present a petition to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Lands asking that the whole matter be decided by an independent commission, and the district given a decided answer one way or the other. The Council decided to grant the application to build subject to the structure being built the requisite distance from the road in order to comply with the brick area regulations.