2 November Blenheim Sun

2

The Sun

Wednesday November 2, 2011

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Ale House decision By Damian George From Page 1. Blenheim man Maurice McQuillan, who will run the Ale House should it go ahead, told The Sun last week he was furious with the council’s decision to “backtrack” on plans to build the Ale House on that site. Lion on-site national accounts manager Mark Neal also said he was disappointed with the decision. Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman told The Sun on Friday the council is considering moving the Ale House back towards the existing car park in an effort to preserve the green area and see the development go ahead. That option will be put to councillors at a full council meeting tomorrow, but it does have one major

jessica Bagge

drawback. “We have a problem with the existing road Twelfth Lane and closing this road,” he says. “It has been suggested it might take up to 12 months to ratify this.” Mr McQuillan, from Super Liquor, told The Sun he can work with the Ale House being moved

back, but the initial proposal he submitted along with Lion does “tick all the boxes” and that is his preferred choice. He says having an Ale House on the High St site would be a real asset to Blenheim, both for local people and visitors passing through. Councillor Jessica Bagge, who has been vocal in her support of the Ale House project, told The Sun she would “totally support” the idea of relocating the restaurant. “If we can make it work so that we do have the Ale House, and if [councillors] think having more green space will keep everyone happy, let’s do it. “Let’s do what we need to do to make it happen.”

Chamber defends petition By Damian George The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce has defended its decision to launch a petition in support of a proposed Speight’s Ale House in Blenheim despite criticism from some of its members. The chamber launched the petition last week following a tentative decision by the Marlborough District Council to reject a proposal from drinks giant Lion to build the ale house on the councilowned 2 High St site. The decision will be revisited at a full council meeting tomorrow. Chamber of Commerce members Toni Gillan and Duncan McKenzie hit out at the organisation yesterday for not consulting all members before deciding to launch the petition. Chamber general manager Brian Dawson told The Sun he and the chamber board made an executive decision to take action

Brian dawson

as a leadership group. “Our boards are elected on a regular basis to lead the organisation for the term of that agreement,” he says. “The board at the time has decided that we strongly support this business investment. “It was appropriate to take action to emphasies our support for it, and it was decided that, as part of that support, the petition was warranted.”

Mr Dawson says he wonders whether the $1.088 million investment to instead develop a green space on the site will be made any time soon. “Presumably, it’s not, because it’s a lot of money. “Is leaving [the site] as a car park for the forseeable future the best option?” In response to the backlash from members about not being consulted, Mr Dawson says: “We’re pleased to get that feedback from members - we’re delighted to see the passion about the future of Marlborough. “One of my concerns has been the lack of passion we feel about the future of the region, and I’m pleased to see many people with such strong opinions on this issue.” There were 252 signatures on the online petition at ipetitions. com as of 3pm yesterday.

aroundnz The un with

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Tour demand crashes lines Huge public demand for the new Christchurch CBD red-zone bus tours saw phone lines overloaded within half an hour yesterday. Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) said it had booked a total of 361 passengers between 8.30 and 10.30am, with one seat booked every 25 seconds.

henry sTeps down World Cup-winning All Blacks coach Graham Henry yesterday announced his decision to step down from the role he has held since 2004, nine days after securing the trophy. After 103 tests in charge of the All Blacks, Henry said in typical fashion he had “had enough”. He has coached 140 tests in total, after also coaching Wales and the British and Irish Lions.

rena salvors prepare for worsT Salvors confirmed yesterday the hull of the stricken ship Rena has suffered further damage on Monday night, sparking fears the ship could break up in the next two days. A Maritime New Zealand spokesperson said yesterday afternoon the team was preparing for the worst as the weather was deteriorating with 5-metre swells forecats for the next 24 hours. The Rena had about 1700 tonnes of oil when it crashed into the Astrolabe Reef nearly a month ago, and still had around 350 tonnes remaining on board.

jackson Turns 50 Legendary New Zealand film director Sir Peter Jackson celebrated his 50th birthday on Monday. The Pukerua Bay-born Jackson, who left school at 17, is currently in New Zealand working on the long-awaited ‘Lord Of The Rings’ prequel ‘The Hobbit’.

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