Friday, Dec 9, 2016
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
What’s taking so long? Ashburton’s Christmas lights are going up, but the dateline has left many asking ‘why so tardy?’ FULL STORY P5
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PHOTO SUSAN SANDYS 071216-SS-0001
English to take helm P2
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December 9, 2016
Industry Comment
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Mixing Real Estate with children
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Railhead shift null and void? BY SUE NEWMAN
SUE.N@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
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Precision In Exca
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• Site works • Carparks • Driveways
• Paths & patios • Demolition • Foundation • Landscape • Drainage excavation levelling • Site clearing www.jansenandbra + so much more Alex Braas – 021 as.co.nz | jansen.braas@iclo ud.com 716 165 | Ilco Jansen – 021 554 584
IN TODAY’S GUARDIAN
A suggestion that the Kaikoura earthquakes could see KiwiRail can its South Island rail links could solve the expensive problem of relocating Ashburton’s shunting yard. The relocation of the yard out of town has been on the Ashburton District Council and ratepayer wishlists for decades, but it has always stumbled on the cost. The last estimates were for the project to come with a price tag of between $11 and $12 million. A possible saviour could have been the ill-fated plan by a New Zealand businessman to build a water-bottling plant in the council’s North East Business Park. An offer was on the table for the relocation of the railhead to be part of the deal – at the water bottler’s expense. The deal did not proceed.
And yesterday, when district councillors took a bus tour around the district, with plans, potholes and poo ponds on the agenda, so too was the relocation of the shunting yard. When councillors stopped off in the business park, questions were asked about the shunting yard, but council chief executive Andrew Dalziel said the problem could resolve itself if KiwiRail followed through with its suggestion that the cost of repairing the earthquake damaged tracks might put the whole southern rail network in doubt. A KiwiRail spokesperson has suggested that if only an Invercargill to Christchurch link was maintained, the viability of rail in the south had to be questioned. With the railhead question ticked off, councillors were keen to hear how sales of sections in the park were progressing. Commercial manager Colin Windle-
born told them that more than half of the lots in the first stage of the development had sold. Another three were under contract, with four under offer. The council has averaged $3 million worth of sales each year. And that steady demand, Windleborn said, meant he was now looking at how stage two of the development could be subdivided. “We need to look at the size of sections and we’re trying to minimise the number of rear lots. Once we started subdividing section sizes down in stage one they really started moving and that’s creating more diversity out here,” he said. As part of their familiarisation with council property and projects, councillors received a lowdown from staff on the activities, issues and projects they would be debating over the next three years.
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