Borough takes new steps over land for housing

Taupo Times, Volume 23, Issue 51, 27 June 1974, Page 1

Borough takes new steps over land for housing

The Taupo Borough Council has taken fresh steps to alleviate the town's critical shortage of residential sections. At its meeting on Monday the council decided to investigate the possibility of obtaining loan money from the State Advances Corporation to finance the subdividing of land for housing. Other moves taken were: • The borough engineer, Mr W. K. Kiddle, is to investigate and report to the works committee on the possibility of making several council-owned - sections in Invergarry Road available for residential dwelling erection 4)y way of lease. © The question of securing land adjacent to the borough for residential subdivision will be placed on the agenda for the next joint planning committee meeting. • The Lands and Survey Department will be encouraged to initiate the subdivision of its land to the east of Harvey Street for housing. • Council's town planning committee is to consider the question of lifting the Airal zoning from some land to make it available for residential sections. • The council will ask the Catholic Church to consider releasing its land in the Liston Ayenue area for residential subdivisional development. The social need will be pointed out to ,the church and the council will assure its support in any negotiations with the Lands and Survey Department to secure alternative land to meet future church school re^uirements. The council will also advise the Ministry of Works and Development of its concern over delays associated with the Crown subdivision at Waipahihi. A replacement pror gramme for development of this subdivision will be urgently requested.

( The chief surveyor for the Department of Lands and Survey in Hamilton, Mr C. M. Rainsford, told the council in a letter last month that the MWD proposed a first stage contract for mass earthworks and major stormwater drainage before general construction contracts were let. "It would seem that tenders will be called for this work in a few months," he said. "I regret I cannot be specitic on a date for offering of sections, as this is dependent on the Ministry of Works and the availability of contractors and niaterials." On . Monday night Mrs E. G. L. Dawson said she thought the Government ought to be asked if it was possible to lease the sec-

tions, instead of selling them. Mr M. J. Morel said he was concerned at the statement of Government policy that when the sections became available they would be sold at current market price. "It will be a high inflated price caused by the Government's failure to get cracking," he said. "I clbn't think it is fair or reasonable to the people of Taupo — if private enterprise had done this the Government would have accused them of profiteering or speculating." Mr Morel thought the Government should initiate some scheme — whether the sections should be leased or not — to bring them on the market at a reasonable price.