COMMISSIONERS REJECT BOB'S CONCRETE BLOCK

In another big political defeat for Sideshow Bob and all the councillors who supported him, the plans to drop a concrete block in the middle of the Arts Centre have been rejected.

Independent commissioners David Kirkpatrick and Dave Serjeant, said that the planned $24.3 million national music conservatorium would harm the Art Centre's heritage values. This is what many us have been saying for months.

The two commissioners have refused resource consent for the Miles Warren-designed music school after finding it was of 'too great a scale and too bulky' for the current car-park site. Which is also what many of us have been saying for months.

Said Kirkpatrick and Serjeant: 'We consider that the consistent overall height of 16 metres and the continuous building length and width make it visually dominant and detract from the heritage setting of the existing buildings of the Arts Centre.'

Richard Sinke, Chair of Save Our Arts Centre says that the decision is 'a major victory for heritage values and common sense.'

Clearly the commissioners were not convinced by Sideshow Bob's shonky argument that the new music school would be a 'great asset' for Christchurch and would bring 'new energy' to the city.

And his claim that the new building would be 'sensitive' to the architectural values of the Arts Centre has also been exposed as nonsensical.

This decision, as well as exposing the lunacy of Sideshow Bob, raises serious questions about members of the Arts Centre Trust who clearly have not been acting in the best interests of the Arts Centre - which they are required to do under its constitution. This includes the chairman John Simpson.

There are also questions to be asked about the role of Arts Centre Director John Franklin in this debacle. A supporter of the rejected music school, he has been openly critical of its opponents such as Save Our Arts Centre.

Can things get any worse for Sideshow Bob?

Yes they can.

Progressive MP Jim Anderton will announce on Sunday (May 8) that he will be standing for the Christchurch mayoralty.