Call to revive Akaroa Progress Association

Press, 1 March 1982, Page 14

Call to revive Akaroa Progress Association

Now was the time for a revival of the Akaroa Progress Association, said the County Chairman, Cr T. J. Brocherie, at a meeting of the Akaroa County Council on Friday. “I have spoken to a number of people in the county who would like to be involved,” he said. Such is the length of time that the progress association has been in recess (it was never officially wound up), no councillors could remember the exact date. Cr Brocherie has asked that the association records and books be dusted off, but first they have to be found. The association would not’ be aiming to help just a certain sector of the community, he said. It would be for the whole of the county, as well as Akaroa. • “If the council thinks that it is a good idea, and in the public interest, I would like permission to call a public meeting, and would chair the first meeting,” he said. Tourism was now playing a big part in the county and it needed to get a sense of direction more than ever, said Mr Brocherie. There were several advantages in having such 'an association. A holiday programme was needed for Akaroa during the holiday period. It would be good for the town. There was nothing organised during that period. Some councillors suggested that the reason why people came to the town was because it was not “touristy.” Cr Brocherie said that the association would not force Akaroa along the same path as Queenstown: “The-public must have a say in the direction of tourism,” he said. The National Travel Association would have a conference in the town in April. Akaroa was becoming increasingly more important, not only for short-term visits but also for regional and overseas tours, he said. The council agreed that a public meeting on the issue should be called. Subdivisions A shortage of residential lots at Duvauchelle has led the council to consider the possibility of creating building sections from larger lots. The council has discussed the matter with planning consultants. “We could not relax the situation in the inner-harbour areas (of the peninsula) but we could relax it in the outer bays to create more houses," said Mr Brocherie. He said that there was a need for sub-divisions at Duvauchelle. “There is residential zoning in Duvauchelle,” he said. "The next residential lots will have to go in the residential zone.” The council's district scheme includes a Rural 2 zone, which covers all residential settlements outside Akaroa township. Under the ordinances, no subdivision creating additional allotments is permitted, but there are several large lots in the county which could be subdivided to produce satisfactory building sections, without full services. The County Engineer, Mr K. A. Paulin, said that this could have the effect of meeting the modest demandthat existed for rural-residential lots in the bays. It would reduce the pressure on the productive rural land. "I do not foresee any flood on to the market” (of sections). he said. "But it would allow full .use of land that is often an

embarrassment to owners.” Pigeon Bay, Little Akaloa, Okains Bay, and Le Bons Bay were mentioned as the areas most likely for subdivisions. The chairman called for a report on the matter, which was to again be. put in the hands of consultants. Harbourmaster The appointment of an assistant harbourmaster for Akaroa Harbour is being considered by the council. Mr W. F. Sheward, the present Harbourmaster, told a recent 'harbours’ committee meeting that in his eight years in the post he had not known the harbour, to be as busy as it had been over the recent holiday period. Much of the harbourmaster’s time has been spent upgrading and inspecting existing moorjngs in the harbour. Most moorings have been inspected recently, and 80 mooring holders have been advised of the condition of their moorings. Thirty require upgrading, and 36 ratepayers and residents are on the waiting list.' Only eight new moorings were laid last year. The council has decided to close the mooring list, and also to continue its policy of placing only ratepayers or residents on it. The list will be re-opened when a solution to the labour problem is found. Approval was given to the raising of mooring and foreshore licences. The new charges are $3O per mooring and $5O per boatshed site, which is expected to bring in an additional $4600 a year. Mr Paulin said that it was still value for money, because it was. below what the Ministry of Transport recommended. Fire control The prohibited fire season in Akaroa county, which was imposed on February 15 because of the hot dry spell, will probably be lifted on Monday. The,, council is discussing with the Akaroa fire brigade a broad fire plan, defining areas of responsibility for the county. Tennis courts The ball, it seems, is firmly in the Akaroa Tennis Club’s court. Two years ago

the council sealed the courts, on the understanding that the club would repair the fence adjacent, which Cr G. P. A. de Latour described as “an eyesore.” “To my knowledge , the club has done nothing in the two years,” he said. “Considerable money was spent bn the courts,” Cr D. S: Hayward said that he would contact the club. Toilets The public. toilets in Akaroa were not “powder rooms,” just simple conveniences, said Cr de Latour. Complaints about the toilets from tour organisers “cropped up too often." They were expecting a powderroom type facility, he said. Harbour Buffer piles should be placed at the Little Akaloa

wharf, which now attracted a fair amount of traffic, said Cr I. C. Harris. He said that he had informally discussed the possibility with the operators of the Lyttelton tug, which made regular stops at the wharf. The tug might carry piles to Little Akaloa. Only about four piles were needed. The tug weighed about 300 tonnes, so the wharf needed some support. Rates Only 0.91 per cent of Akaroa county rates for the 1981-82 year.had yet to be received, which was a very pleasing response, said Cr Brocherie. The figure for 1980-81 was, at this week, 98.31 per cent collected. The town collection had dropped slightly, however, from 98.92 per cent (1980-81) to 96.68 per cent, with four weeks to go.