ROBE STREET WIDENING

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1940, Page 6

ROBE STREET WIDENING

DEPARTMENI'S REQUEST CRITICISM BY COUNCIL NO SIGN OF COMPROMISE Definite refusal to pay more than £2000 for land for the widening of Robe Street has been expressed by th.e New Plymouth Borough Council to the Public Works Department. The council took the view that the department's request for £4200 did not represent a compromise or any semblance of a compromise. The negotiations have been the result of the Goyernment's acquisition of land in Silver Street to facilitate the erection of Government buildings on the post office and courthouse . sites, involving the closing of Silver Street. In the council's opinion the department is endeavouring to get from the borough the cost of the land it bought without any set-off for the Government's acquisition of Silver Street itself. The council's attitude towards the proposed exchanges of land was set out in the following report of the finance committee adopted by the council last night: Report Refused. A letter.was received from the Public Works Department declining to supply a copy of the Valuer-General's report in regard to the courthouse and GovemI ment buildings site and thc proposed widening of Robe Street and closing of Silver Street.' In a .previous letter the department intimated that the matter had been fully considered by Cabinet which had expressed the opinion that the sum of £4200 asked by the department by way of equality of exchange represents a reasonable compromise. The council had offered £1500 and had in discussion with the Minister of Justice and his under-secretary intimated verbally that provided that sum was clearly understood by both parties to be the absolute limit it would be prepared to increase its offer to £2000, That iri connection with the matter referred to in the previous paragraph the Public Works Department be informed as follows: — (a) That at a conference with the council on May 2, 1939, the Government land purchase officer, Mr. Carter, intimated that the sum the council would be required to pay "would be based on the amount the Government had paid for the land on the western side of Silver Street, approximately £4000." (b) That on the basis referred to in (a) the amount payable by the council, after allowing a set-off on the same basis for the land comprised in Silver Street proposed to be closed and vested in the Government would be £1771. For some inexplicable reason, however, the department, while it paid £50 16s lld per foot (street to street) for the adjoining land endeavours to argue that the land comprised in Silver Street which has a frontage of 86.34 links (street to street) to Devon Street has no value at all; that in view of such specious arguments the council is entirely unable to understand upon what grounds Cabinet could possibly have based its opinion "that a figure of £4200 represents a reasonable compromise."

Department's Attitude. (c) That in view of the foregoing the council is impeljed to the view that the figure of £4200 does not represent a compromise or anything in the semblance of a compromise. It is more in the nature of an attempt initiated at the beginning | of the negotiations by the land purchase officer to recover from the council the whole of the purchase money paid by the Government for the additional land west of Silver Street without taking into consideration that, if Silver Street were to be closed and vested in the Government, the council would be giving tc the Government an area of 1 rood 16.58 perches. This attitude has been maintained by the Public Works Department throfighout the proceedings and there has never been any indication that the department has been prepared to negotiate on any reasonable basis whatsoever. This attitude has been in striking contrast to the reasonable attitude at all times adopted by the Minister of Justice and his undersecretary. (d) The council in its letter of March 20 last intimated its willingness to pay £2000 which is at the very least £200 over and above a fair and just price. The council did this to ensure that in this area of proposed new Government buildings the ordinary town planning requirements in regard to open space might be at least partially observed. The Government has passed legislation in regard to town planning and has urged local bodies to observe town planning principles. In view of this the council is quite at a loss to understand why in this instance, where the adoption of town planning principles would be in the interest of both the Government and the local body, a Government department by imposing completely unfair and unreasonable terms should go out of its way to prevent town planning principles being adopted. What is more inexplicable to the council is that Cabinet should support the department in its attitude.

Previous Reports Secn. (e) The Public Works Department in 1 its letter to the council of February 29, 1940, quoted a valuation from the ValuerGeneral. This valuation appeared to the council to be based upon wrong premises 1 and the council submitted a lengthy letter on March 20, 1940, setting out the full facts and asked that a fresh report be obtained from the Valuer-General. This the department agreed to do. Before receiving the council's letter the Valuer-General sibmitted to the department a further report and this was quoted in full in the department's letter to the council of April 3, 1940. It is inferred from the department's letter that the Valuer-General submitted a further report taking into consideration the information contained in the council's letter of March 20 last. The council applied for a copy of this latest report but was informed that on reconsideration of its 1 request it would "no doubt appreciate : that a departmental report to Cabinet i could not be made available to the council." The council is again at a loss • to understand why the department is ■ able to quote the Valuer-General's report , on two occasions, yet when a revised report is obtained from the same official 1 at the request of the council the depart- ' ment is unable to make available to the • council the information contained there- ' in. ! (f) That the council is satisfied that in expressing a willingness to pay £2000 it ■ made a very generous offer to the de- : partment and under the circumstances 1 the department must clearly understand i that this is Ihe council's maximum figuro ' and will not be increased. > That copies of the foregoing resolution ' be forwarded to the Under-Secretary of the Public Works Department, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Works and the Minister of Justice.