COLOMBO ST. WIDENING

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28264, 30 April 1957, Page 14

COLOMBO ST. WIDENING

Policy To Be Examined Whether its resolution that Colombo street should be set back >even feet on each side should emain in force will be examined iy the City Council. A move by Cr. A. R. Guthrey earlier this year to have the esolution rescinded came before he council last evening; and it has gained some support in the meantime. The council agreed that its works, town planning, and traffic committees should consider the proposal. . / He had sent a questionnaire to property owners in Colombo 'treet and all the replies he had received had been on the line that if the decision remained in force, they would not contemplate rebuilding until their properties were condemned. Cr. Guthrey said. Tn few cases would that be in less than 50 years. In many it would be 100 years or more. None of the owners considered that they would obtain any benefit from the setting back of the footoaths, nor did they consider that it would improve the business potential of the street. They all considered that the gradual widening of the street would detract from its aesthetic and commercial value.

Major Problems The major problem now, and it would increase, was with vehicular transport and not pedestrians, he continued. He estimated that it would cost £1 million or more. Rather than spend that, would it not be better to spend half the amount on eliminating poles and overhead wires, providing adequate offstreet parking to cater for Colombo street, completely reorganising the Square/ with the possibility of making it into a Cathedral close, with the roads going through a tunnel underneath.

There were many streets, including Oxford terrace from the hospital to Cashel street, Victoria street and Madras street, which could easily be widened in the foreseeable future because the buildings were mainly of wooden construction with a limited life. Cr. Guthrey said that if the decision was adhered to, Colombo street would undoubtedly stagnate and the rateable value of the street would undoubtedly diminish.

Shopping Street “I wonder if Colombo street is going to remain the main shopping street—l wonder if it is now,” said Cr. J. Mathison, M.P. “I doubt it. If it is not, then extending the footpaths is going to mean a great deal of waste space. There was a church built right up to the street line, he said. There was another commercial building with an estimated life of 150 years. He hesitated to think what the street would look like in the transition period. Cr. Mathison said he favoured the growth of a satellite town rather than allowing Christchurch to grow haphazardly and get too big. “I do not want to see it grow like Auckland,” he added. Colombo street had to be looked at as a traffic thoroughfare and the effect of the overbridge considered, said Cr. H. P. Smith. He proposed that the subject should be considered by a special meeting of the town-planning, works and traffic committees. Width of Footpaths

Let anyone go overseas to London and Paris and he would not say that Christchurch footpaths needed widening, said Cr. N. R. Forbes. The estimated growth of Christchurch was to a population of 250,000. That would not necessitate widening Colombo street footpaths. People overseas still did their shopping from footpaths no wider than Christchurch’s, he said. But they were not allowed to loiter. Colombo street could not be considered alone, said Cr. W. L. F. Utley. It had to be considered in relation to other streets, shopping centres and transport. “If it is feasible to do it in one city, it is feasible here,” said Cr. M. B. Howard, M.P., who said that roads had been widened in Thorndon in Wellington. The council was urged by Cr. W P. Glue to make up its mind. When Victoria street was widened some shopping sites would be ruined; but that was not the case in Colombo street.

“If Colombo street is not going to be a main thoroughfare, then why the dickens did we spend £17,800 on half a mile of it? Of course it is going to be the main thoroughfare,” said Cr. Glue.