KENT TERRACE AFFAIR

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12607, 18 November 1926, Page 8

KENT TERRACE AFFAIR

AND THE CITY COUNCIL INJUNCTION SUPPORTERS EXPLAIN NEGOTIATIONS DETAILED * The following statement has been forwarded to *‘Tho Times” for publication by those who obtained the recent injunction restraining the City Council f'rom_ proceeding with the proposed work iu Kent and Cambridge terraces: As there appears to bo an impression abroad that tuo work of putting Kent terrace in shape for the forthcoming visit of their Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York has been held up in consequence of tho application by certain citizens ior an injunction, it is perhaps desirable that a brief categorical statement of tho facts should be presented. (1) October llth: The Mayor declined to hold up the cutting down of the trees for even one week. (2; October 13th: The Supreme Court granted an interim injunction restraining the Mayor and council from cutting down the trees and preventing their converting any part of the canal reserve into street, with leave to apply for rescission at short notice. <3> October 14th: The plaintiffs, through their solicitor, without prejudice (and subject to certain conditions affecting the plantation and reserve south of Vivian street), agreed to offer no objection (if the court approved) to the council proceeding with their plans for the portion of the caual reserve north of Vivian street, and to the construction of a cross street between Vivian street and Buckle street. (4) October 21st: The council rejected the offer of the compromise without making any alternative proposals. (3) November Ist: The council applied to the Supreme Court for a rescission of the interim injunction. The court refused to rescind, and offered the city's counsel the choice of an absolute injunction, or an adjournment sine die, with right to apply for a hearing at 10 days' notice. Counsel naturally accepted the latter alternative. November llth : At the suggestion of the Acting-Prime Minister an effort was made to reach a compromise (with a view to avoiding the appointment of a commission), further concessions to this end being made by the plaintiffs (subject to the approval of the court). (7) November 12th; The council again rejected any compromise* notwithstanding tho Acting-Prime Minister's mediation, and made no counter-proposals except the suggestion that a well-known architect should be* a member of the tribunal proposed by the Acting-Prime Minist' r. COMPROMISE SUGGESTED (8> November 12th: On the rejection by the council of the overtures made at the instance of the Acting-Prime Minister, the plaintiffs suggested, as a means whereby the improvement of Kent terrace north of Vivian street could be proceeded with in its entirety, that (subject always to the approval of the court) they would take no objection to issue of a modified proclamation giving the council the following powers:— (a) To deal with that portion of the canal reserve north of Vivian street according to the plans submitted by the City Council to the Government. <b) To make a cross street between Kent and Cambridge - terraces across an asphalted or grassed part of the canal reserve, between Vivian street and Buckle street, provided that the council should take measures to put the plantation south of Vivian 6treet in order, and that any proclamation relating to the canal reserve south of Vivian street (with the exception of the cross street before referred to) should be deferred until such time, as the Town Planning Board, to be appointed under the Town Planning Act, 1926, should have approved any alteration as part of a town-plan for ‘Wellington. WORK COULD HAVE GONE ON (9) There has never been any need for the council to stop the work of preparing the flower and grass plots in Kent terrace between Elizabeth street and Vivian street. It has certainly been precluded by the injunction from converting any part of the reserve into a street, but garden plots of the same width as those already made (north of Elizabeth street) might easily (between October llth and November 16th) have been completed. Even if the full width of the reserve is maintained at this part (north of Vivian street) it will not be practicable, from the point of view of symmetry, to make the plots any wider than those already made, so that there seems no cause, but perversity, why the work has been held up by the council. (10) As the council has rested its proposals on traffic considerations, it is perhaps desirable to explain what the council proposes to do. It is proposed to throw at least lift of the reserve into the street known as Kent terrace and at hast 6ft of the reserve known as Cambridge terrace, and reducing the width of tho plantation to about 2lft. Kent and Cambridge terraces are to all intents and purposes one thoroughfare, and though there 19 not yet any by-law to that effect, one-way traffic is tacitly observed by common consent, south-bound traffic going by Kent terrace and northbound traffic via Cambridge terrace. Tho exception to this is the electric tramway, both north and south lines being laid in Kent terrace, the north line being on the west side lying close up to the footpath alongside the reserve. The south-bound vehicular traffic therefore travels on the east side of the tramlines It ia now proposed that sufficient space be provided - for vehicular traffic between the north-bound lines and the reserve, for the purpose of allowing south-bound motor traffic to pass between Ihe north-bound lines and tho reserve. DANGER TO HUMAN LIFE What chances would pedestrians have of g&tting across the street safely with this conglomeration of traffic? It is surely apparent that the danger to human life would be immensely increased by fast-moving vehicles passing on boll? sides of a two-way electric tramway. That tho necessity for the widening of. these streets has not yet arrived is evidenced by the apparent intention to park motor-cars along Cambridge terrace. if the traffic is already so congested that widening is essential, how can parking in such a busy thoroughfare be justified? (ID There has, happily, been no personal animus displayed in the controversy, nor is there any occasion for any.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Wellington Education Board, reference, in the terms of the following motion, was made to the death of the late .Mr F. Pirani;—“That the Wellington Education Board tenders to Mrs F. Pirani and family its deep sympathy with her in her recent bereavement; expresses its sincere regret that educational service of such distinction as that of Mr Pirani should liavo been terminated just when he had entered on a new field of congenial work; that it further places on record its sense of his fino sacrifice of personal interest implied in honorary service of more than forty years on school committee, College Board, Education Board, and on the Education Commission of 1912, marked throughout by able and unremitting effort to promote the cause of sound education in this country.” The chairman, Mr T. Forsyth, M.P., said that the late Mr Pirani never stressed seli: if ho bad, he might have risen to higher positions. He did his duty as he saw it, regardless of his own interests, and was a fearless critic. The motion was carried.