Lower Height Accepted For Board’s Building

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31093, 23 June 1966, Page 10

Lower Height Accepted For Board’s Building

An agreement under which the height of the proposed Christchurch Transport Board’s bus and car park and admin* istrative building in Cathedral square will be limited to 102 ft, and 141 ft to the tip of the tower, instead of the 218 ft originally planned, was produced at a hearing of Special Town and Country Planning Appeal Board yesterday.

Amended proposals were included in the agreement to cover the inwards ramp from Hereford place, and the Ministry of Works which had objected that the original proposal would restrict the width of Customs lane from 19ft 4in to 7ft, accepted them, and withdrew its objection.

The board, congratulating the parties on having reached agreement among themselves, indicated that its decision, granting town-planning approval of the project, would be along the lines of the agreement.

The board comprises Messrs C. H. Taylor (chairman), W. F. McArthur and E. Whittlestone. Mr J. G. Hutchison appeared for the Transport Board, Mr J. G. Leggat for the Christchurch City Council, and Mr J. J. Dunne for the Ministry of Works. Mr Hutchison presented the agreement. It stated that the Transport Board had asked the council for a specified departure to permit the erection of a building 218 ft high. Objections came from the New Zealand Shipping Company Ltd., and the New Zealand Refrigerating Company Ltd. The objectors agreed to waive their objections if certain conditions were adhered to, and the council

agreed to support the application in this event. Subsequently, an objection came from the Ministry of Works. The agreement asked the appeal board to consent to a specified departure to allow the erection of the building to a total height of 141 ft to the top of the tower, and of 102 ft for the main building.

The capacity of the building was not to exceed 400 vehicles, the inwards ramp to start 50ft back from Hereford place, and the ramps not to exceed Bft over Customs lane, with a site ratio of 8 to 1. Mr Dunne said that the Ministry would withdraw its objection, and Mr Hutchison's request that the Transport Board’s appeal against the objection be withdrawn was granted. New Offices \ Another consent was given when the Canterbury (N.Z.) Seed Company Ltd. (Mr J. R. Woodward) sought a conditional use under the Riccarton Borough Council’s planning scheme to allow the company to build a new office block and showroom at Clarence street, in a residential zone.

Mr Woodward said the company agreed to six conditions imposed by the council. One, asking that it be a condition of employment that company employees use the off-street car park would be accepted in so far as it was enforceable. ■

Mr I. White, for the council, suggested that the posi-

tion could be met by altering the condition to the effect that the company not prohibit the car-park to its employees. ‘The condition arose from complaints about Rlccarton Mall, where the company refuses to let employees park on the mall site,” said Mr White. “There have been complaints about employees’ cars being parked on nearby streets.” Mrs M. D. Toogood, who appeared as an objector, was told that the driveway provided along her boundary would not be used for motor traffic. Objections made to the council were mainly based on the belief that the company’s move would lead to industrial development, but this was not the case, said Mr Woodward. The move was chiefly to centralise the company's operations, and the new office would enhance the area. ' Change Of Site The board would consent, said the chairman, when A. C. Rhodes, Ltd. (Mr B. A. Barrer) asked for variation of a consent to allow it to move a petrol station from Church corner to the comer of Rlccarton road and Newnham terrace. The Waimairi County Council (Mr Hutchison) supported the application. Mr P. C. Rhodes, managing director of the company, said that more land had been bought, and the new layout proposals had the approval of the council and the Transport Department.