Canberra-isation under way in quake city – Moore
Ex-Christchurch mayor says locals are being shut out of the CBD rebuild.
Former Christchurch mayor Garry Moore says hundreds of Christchurch commercial landowners are being “shafted”.
He told NBR ONLINE his widely reported comments this week were made after he sat down with prominent developers and landowners to gauge their sentiments.
“My comments reflected the general views of landowners and people close to a number of property developments," Mr Moore says.
“My phone and email is running hot with communications from all sorts of people who support what I’ve said.
“This is eastern bloc stuff. Individual investors are going to have their land taken off them by a supposedly private enterprise government. It’s absolutely weird.
“Everyone accepts that the central business district needs to be consolidated. But the local smaller investors and developers are being shut out.
“There needs to be a vehicle that allows existing owners to be part of the bigger picture.
“But they’re going to lose their equity over this compulsory buy out and the ones that still have equity won’t have a look in.
“The only groups that will be able to afford these large blocks of land are big corporates from Australia.
“It’s the Canberra-isation of Christchurch.
"What makes it worse is that if you’ve got a contrary view to the old boy’s club you’re told to shut up.
“We’re under a command and control mechanism with our city council just an outpost of a Wellington ministry, almost in the same way they sacked elected representatives from the regional council,” Mr Moore says.
Chris Hutching
Tue, 04 Sep 2012
Tue, 04 Sep 2012
© All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.
Canberra-isation under way in quake city – Moore
23548