Page 1570 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 12 August 1992
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there, although it is true that the business has operated there for some years. I did ask Mr Enright, the chair of Ainslie Village, some time ago to put a stay of execution on an eviction order. At the same time the Megalo arts and crafts centre were also told that they would have to leave. Mr Enright agreed to do that. That period is now coming towards an end. Yesterday Mr Horsham, the general manager of the Housing and Community Services Bureau, wrote to Mr Enright saying that, although we do not have power to require this, we requested that CWC be provided with sufficient time to locate new premises before they were evicted from the village site.
Members will be interested to know that Megalo have in fact moved out. They had similar lease purpose problems. They have been relocated into new premises, and apparently that is quite satisfactory. We have had an interim response from Mr Enright which has said that his understanding is that nothing would happen until well into September. I think that gives some time for further discussion. The Government understands the difficulty that Ainslie Village is in, in that it has a business operating contrary to the lease purpose clause - which is, on material that they have given us, causing them some problems with insurance and so on.
The Government cannot turn a blind eye to a breach of the lease purpose clause. On the other hand, we are very conscious of the fact that that business has been a useful employment generator. It is currently employing an apprentice, a woman who is in the first year of her apprenticeship. We would see the best outcome in that business successfully relocating, continuing with its good employment practices and continuing to generate activity. As to the problem of the lease purpose clause, we have an assurance that nothing will happen imminently, and we will continue negotiations with Ainslie Village, although at the end of the day they are the lessee and we have no power to direct them.
Hotel Dickson Site
MR LAMONT: My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning. Minister, I have noticed from recent press reports that there is a proposal to redevelop the former Hotel Dickson site. I understand from some of those press reports that what is being proposed is a fifth petrol station to operate in the Dickson area. If that is correct, will this have a detrimental impact on the Dickson shopping centre?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, there should be no surprise, of course, that this area is being redeveloped. The hotel was knocked down about four years ago. Perhaps I should detail for the Opposition the long planning processes that are required in this town. More than one step must be taken to change the use to which that site can be put. It is certainly the case that an earlier decision would enable more service stations to be located in Dickson. In October 1988 the NCDC amended its planning policies for service stations by removing the provision for a maximum on the number of service stations that could be located in particular areas. This was consistent with the view expressed at the time by the Prices Surveillance Authority that increased competition would lead to benefit consumers. So you can have in Dickson or anywhere else more service stations
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