Waimairi will contest Minister’s disclaimer

Press, 6 February 1986, Page 7

Waimairi will contest Minister’s disclaimer

The Waimairi District Council will appeal against a decision by the Minister of Works and Development, Mr Colman, to disclaim responsibility for the proposed expressway between Main North Road and Grimseys Road. The District planner, Mr David Hinman told the council’s town-planning committee yesterday that the relevant portion of the expressway would initially link the Northern Arterial with the Main North Road. The Minister’s decision inplied it should be shown as a council responsibility, he said. The committee agreed to appeal against the decision so that the issue could be decided by an independent authority, Cr Brian Shackel, the committee’s chairman, said that about 120 Redwood residents met on Tuesday evening to discuss the Northern Arterial. They had formed a committee, but he said not all residents were

“anti-development." Mr Hinman, however, warned the committee there would be some opposition. “They feel that now they are living there they do not want a motorway over their back fence,” he said. The Christchurch Airport director, Mr Hugh McCarroll, will be invited to the next town-planning committee meeting to discuss the airport’s new master plan. The plan, released last December, had major implications for the Waimairi road network, said Mr Hinman, in a report to the committee. “Any growth in activities at the airport needs to be matched with careful planning of the access routes to avoid any unnecessary disruption to the residential areas and to minimise investment in the roading network,” the report said.

More aircraft movements could also increase the noise and disturbance

to residents near the flight path of the airport’s now seldom-used subsidiary runway, the report said. The committee also heard there was no appeal against the creation of the technology park zone. To ensure the momentum continued, a technology park zone subcommittee would be formed. It will comprise the District Chairman, the chairmen of the town-planning committee and the finance and policy committee, and Cr Philip Carter, who has been involved in the park’s planning. The committee approved a time-table for dealing with objections and submissions to the District Scheme Review. Mr Hinman said the main task this year was to complete the remaining hearings and bring down and publish all decisions. “While a high percentage of objections has been heard by the sub-commit-

tees, there is a backlog of decisions to come through to the town-planning subcommittee," he said. Seventy per cent of the 1552 objections have been heard in 74 hearing sessions since February, 1984, but recommended decisions for only 22 per cent of the objections have been brought to the town-planning committee. Mr Hinman said many decisions had been withheld because they could be affected by objections or decisions yet to be heard or decided. Another reason was to delay the appeal phase, which would divert staff resources from completing the hearings. Decisions on some urgent matters have already been released. These include the technology park zone, Stanbury, Church Corner) and the Northern Arterial, he said. The time-table included the publication of urgent decisions this month, and all outstanding decisions by the middle of the year.