TOWN PLANNING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 133, 7 June 1930, Page 12

TOWN PLANNING.

NEEDED IN NEW ZEALAND.

DIRECTOR ISSUES WARNING.

CONDITIONS IN WELLINGTON,

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, this day.

A -warning against the consequences of sporadic urban development was given by the director of town planning, My. J. W. Mawson, in addressing a conference of local government representatives in Wellington. He said that urban expansion before a town area was economically developed resulted in the necessity of providing additional costly public services. Listead of planning for the next fifty years, New Zealand had, in some instances, constructed for the next fifty years, a vastly different matter.

Referring particularly to Wellington, Mr. Mawson said it had to be admitted that particularly favourable influences were at work in the Wellington district, but he -was going to- submit that, even so, the optimistic estimates of the growth which were so confidently made would not in human probability be realised within the lifetime of anyone in the room, and for ma'jv a decade after. Pessimists May Bs Right.

Taking the area embracing the city and the adjacent municipal and county areas in which urban developments were taking place, and in which land had already reached a high building value, there were approximately 29,000 acres. All that land was readily utilisable; it included Tawa Flat and the level ground in the Hutt Valley up to and including the Upper Hutt borough. Sporadic building development was taking place over the whole area. The city engineer in his report regarding future water supplies had provided in his estimates for a'population of 400.000 in 1974. Suppose lie was correct, then where were the people to come from? .

"I do not want to be pessimistic, although pessimists in regard to urban development are usually right," said Mr. Mawson, "but I sincerely suggest that it is about time we substituted something like a scientific estimate based on a thorough study and analysis of those

influences which have been at work xa the past, are at work to-day, and ar« likely to operate in the future, and, whea we have made that estimate, to ma&J provision accordingly for an orderly ana economic growth over the area to satisfy our highest needs. Situation Serious. "We must stop the sporadic and uneconomic development now taking place all over the Dominion. The situation is absolutely serious; but, not content with that, we insist on furtheJ subdivision annually to provide building sections for many times the normal increment in population. Most of tliess subdivisions are frankly of a speculative nature. Hundreds of acres ara being subdivided in the Hutt countv today, not because there is any immediate demand for it for building purposes, bu because land speculation is regarded a legitimate business, and purchasers can always be found on a deferred ment system who would like to hold a. few sections for a possible capital investment. In less than ten years the bulk of these investors are going to ha wiser but poorer men. Sporadic Building. '"Let me read to you what the London Regional Committee has to say about sporadic building development, which is such a feature of the Wellington region: 'Quite apart from its advantage in connection with new arterial roads, sporadic building is a serious evi on account of the needless costs wnic are involved in the distribution of al the services associated with urban development. Excessive liabilities for water supply, drainage, sewage treatment, gas, electricity, and transport are put upon the local authorities or the supplying companies by haphazard de velopment, to say nothing of the in* creased cost of postal, telephone, and all other .distributive services. It is no * reasonable that individual owners or developers should be able to build wherever they like; regardless of the cost to the community or the injury they do to the beauty and amenity of the country side. Such an unregulated right to build anywhere is quite inconsistent with any system of planning; and sufficient control to prevent its abuse to the public detriment is urgently required.' "There is a case for regional planning in New Zealand," declared Mr. Mawson, "and, above all, in the Wellington metropolitan area. I do not know how else the matter can be tackled except by the virtual abolition of our present system of local government."