ROADS LYING IDLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 91, 18 April 1929, Page 10

ROADS LYING IDLE.

1000 MILES IN BOROUGHS.

FORTY THOUSAND ACRES.

NEED OF TOWN PLANNING,

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, this day.

"The fundamental bask of town planning is the control of the use of lahd," said the director of town planning, Mr. •T. W. Mawson, when addressing the Counties' Association. Under the system of regional planning, he said, separate zones would be set aside for building and for agricultural purposes. Efforts must be made .--o that land would be used for the purpose for which it was best suited.

"If town planning is to fulfil its function of preventing mistakes in the

future, it ought to apply to land now being divided or likely to be divided in the near future," said Mr. Mawson. "In the past roads have been constructed in districts which were likely or werel thought likely to be populated. There are in boroughs to-day 1000 miles of roads which are not utilised at all. This represents a very Berious loss to local bodies. At the lowest compilation, the amount of land represented by these roads is something like 40.000 acres. That is a very serious state of affairs.

"Vast sums of money had been expended upon works which were unnecessary. Ift there had been a town planning scheme for Palmerston North t 1 railway trouble would not have arisen. No proper surveys of the possibilities of the region were ever made.