TOWN-PLANNING SCHEME

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23414, 22 August 1941, Page 8

TOWN-PLANNING SCHEME

PLAN FOR GREATER

CHRISTCHURCH

EXPERT’S SERVICES TO BE REQUESTED

The Minister for Internal Affairs will be asked to make available to the city the services of the town-planning officer of the department (Mr J. W. Mawson) in the preparation of a metropolitan town plan for Christchurch. This was decided at a representative conference held in the Chamber of Commerce hall yesterday. His services will be asked for the necessary preliminary survey of an area consisting of the city itself, the boroughs of Sumner. Riccarton, and Lyttelton, and the counties of Halswell, Heathcote. Paparua, and Waimairi. The decision of the conference, which lasted for the greater part of yesterday, means an important step in bringing nearer a town plan for Greater Christchurch. It was also decided that the survey be presented as soon as possible to another session of the conference for explanation, consideration, and discussion. Mr Mawson and Mr A. G. Harper, of the Department Of Internal Affairs, addressed the conference, which was presided over by Mr W. S. Mac Gibbon, president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, which has interested itself for some time in the scheme. At the end of the conference Mr Mac Gibbon, Mr Mawson, Mr Harper, and other speakers mentioned the spirit of ‘ goodwilL and understanding that had been manifested and asserted that the conference had been extremely helpful in bringing about a clearer view of what town planning represented. The conference was attended by representatives of the Christchurch City Council, the Riccarton, Sumner, and Lyttelton Borough Councils, the Halswell, Heathcote. Paparua and Waimairi County Councils, the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, the Canterbury Employers’ Association, the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, the builders and contractors of the city, the Real Estate Institute, the Suburban Local Bodies’ Association, the Canterbury Law Society, and the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. - “Town planning has been giving concern over a number of years, not bhly to the city fathers, but grave concern to the people of the city,” said Mr Mac Gibbon. "The first movement' towards securing a Christchurch scheme was made in 1926.- In’ the following year the extra urban area was brought in to the city and it appeared at the time that a scheme would be brought down. But various delays occurred and then came a scheme brought down by the town-planning committee of the Christchurch City Council. “I would like to say that whoever drew up that scheme—presumably it was the city surveyor—gave considerable thought and" time to it,” Mr MacGibbon said. He assured the City Council and the town-planning, committee that at no time had the representative committee set up by the Chamber of Commerce approached the Scheme with the idea of stultifying it, or putting it off. The idea of that committee had been to get something acceptable to all. The committee had not/approached the scheme from a 1 selfish attitude. The objection made had been that the scheme would bring hardship within the Walls of the city .and was not,along the lines of .what the* city as.a whole ought to be' The committee did not want to see the city , brought ipto a scheme with such narrow confines. Christchurch was in a peculiar position, with some of its best residential areas and some of its industrial areas outside the boundaries of the city. The plan so far covered only a small portion of the city that Greater Christchurch would ultimately be. The committee was anxious .’.;to : see Christchurch a city Of distinction and at the same time what if used ,to be, the industrial! and manufacturing centreof’ Jfeiy Zealand. Mr Mac Gibbon mentioned’ ’ that "the Auckland scheme had been held up pending a co-ordinated scheme embracing a Greater Auckland. ' ■ City of 160,0 M

Mr Mawson based , his Outline .of town-planning policy for the- city on a in population to 160,(X)0 in the next 25 years. The population of New Zealand at present was* 1,600,000. If all those, people were put into; one town and housed as the State Housing' Department was doing now (oh the basis of five persons to the net. acre), and, absorbed only -50 per <feht, of the gross land area for building sites,' leaving the rest for streets, factories, etc., it would be possible to house the entire population of New Zealand within a radius of nine miles. The density of population in Christchurch was about nine a gross acre.

so that within a radius of five miles > of the Square it would be possible ,to house a population of 500,000, and that was an extremely low density, after making allowances for factories and so on. v .i, “There is no sense in overcrowding land-with buildings and in overcrowd* Sg . buildings with people,” said Me awson. ■ "I do hot want to tread on the foes of my -fellow architects, who are anxious to have the scope to build these big blocks, but at the present time, .socially or economically, there Is no justification for big blocks of flats. -vThelr tonly tendency is to .overcrowd - 'im<l : tbr;d#ttead *’the public facilities . and ;gmmities. It is a bad policy (as thi;‘lwar has shown), to crowd too many people }hto one building or one area.”.'' • •• •

. Mawson said that the' first, consideration in planning must her given to Industry. Atown could- not 'be developed without its industries. Discussing the height and density of buildings, Mr Mawson said that" a street f existed jn Sydney where there was so little opeh-air space readily available that - ifj ; , in an emergency, all the

IN THE CASUALTY LISTS.— Private C. Lloyd, of Hamner Springs, missing (left), and Private G. R. Stout, of Christchurch, prisoner.

people in the buildings had to go out to the streets at the same time, they would be standing two and a half deep.' Yet that was what some people in New Zealand wanted to see and what some people called progress. There was also the question of fire hazards. He understood that the maximum height to which the Christchurch fire facilities could work effectively was 60 feet.

“A Single Unit”

"There is no doubt that the metropolitan area is a single social arid economic area,” said Mr Mawson, when dealing with ways and means of bringing a metropolitan or Greater Christchurch scheme into existence. “Notwithstanding the exigencies of the local government system which established these districts, they all . have similar economic and social interests. No scheme for any one part can be considered without considering the greater area of which it forms an integral part. The essential thing is to bring about a scheme whereby there can be co-ordination of the major land uses . throughout that metropolitan area—a balanced economy in land uses—the co-ordination of communications and other public utilities and services, and, where necessary, the consideration of the recreational question.” Mr Mawson quoted the action taken by Auckland in setting up machinery for the preparation of a metropolitan scheme. There, a committee of three had been set up, with an advisory technical committee consisting of the engineers of all the local authorities interested, with the city engineer as technical adviser. He suggested that a similar committee should be set up in Christchurch, consisting of not morq than five members.

Mr Mawson said that there had been a uniform population increase in Christchurch of approximately 900 to 1000 a year over the last 10 years. It was not safe, in these times, to plan for more than 25 years ahead. He did not think there would be justification for assuming a greater rate of increase in the future and thought the city should plan for a population of 160,000 iri the next 25 years. On the basis of 10 to the gross acre, an area of 16,000 acres would be needed for the plan. He quoted the following tentative distribution percentages for such an area, based on accepted practice:—Residential, 50 per cent. (8000 acres); commercial, 2.50 per cent. (400 acres); industrial, 4.00 per cent. (640 acres); railways, 3.00 per cent. (480 acres); streets, 25.00 per cent. (4000 acres); parks and playgrounds, 10.00 per cent. (1600 acres): private open spaces, 4.50 per cent, (720 acres); public and semi-public, 1.00 per cent. (160 acres). How that distribution was to be determined, Mr Mawson said, was a big issue, and- a planning committee would have to make recommendations as to where such types of land were to be.

To a question, Mr Mawson said that it was his view that Christchurch, With its existing roads and facilities, was capable of carrying a- far .greater, population than 160,000.- New Zealand, the statistics, had shown, was fully serviced and developed for an. urban population of,two and a half million.

Access to, Port

‘•I would rather not infringe on the prerogatives Of the committee,” said Mr Mawson, when asked by Mr T. N. Gibbs whether he .had thought of the great importance of access to the sea in planning Greater Christchurch, “But we could agree on technical, grounds that the main lines of communication irt the .Christchurch' metropolitan-area at« almost-ideali with one exception— Cathedral square is overloaded. If you cduld interpose two ring roads, say one a mile away from the Square and another two miles away,, you would have communication facilities as good as any I have seen.” To another question by Mr Gibbs about access, to the sea 'Mr Mawson said that any steps which could be taken to •, improve communications with an industrial area to the port must be good, so long as they do not increase transport cos ts- , . ~ “Would any scheme be binding on the Government Housing Department,” asked Mr W. G. Chapman Local Bodies). Mr Mawson: I think you will find that If a scheme is brought down, planning land utilisation, and having the approval of the local Interested, the Housing , D will be a loyal party to the scheme. “Will that apply to other Government departments?" Mr Mawson was then asked. . . T 'Mr Mawson: I cannot say that.-i mentioned the Housing Department because that is the declared policy of the department. < “As the legislation stands at present there is‘no -power to bind the Crown, said Mr Mawson in. answer to another question. “But town planning is really a Question of Government policy; Judging by the attitude of the Crown over fhe Hutt Valley scheme, in which it has big interests, I think it right to assume that (unless there arc overriding reasons of great national importance) *4he Government is only, too anxious to fall in with the policy laid down by the local authorities.” He declared that the Education Department, for Instance, was working in close touch with the Town Planping Board, having‘realised the value of zoning, particularly in the purchase of school sites in advance ‘of development. He thought the Government was fully seized of the value and;importance of planning. - /

Sumner’s Support

Mr J. E. Tait, Mayor of Sumner, declared that his borough was wholeheartedly in support of regional planning of the area, and offered co-opera-tion. But it Was felt that, the committee would have to be representative of all interests. • ■ ■ . When the conference resumed after lunch Mr Mawson added to his explanation of the attitude of the Housing Department. He said that where ,the department was in conflict with a Ideal body over such questions as the operation of by-laws, the local authority or the department had the right to refer the case to the Town-Planning Board, which acted as arbitrator. The decision of the board was final. Moving the two motions,, which were carried unanimously by the , conference,' the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr E. H, Andrews) said that the City Council had known, when It released the scheme, that.it was not a perfect one and would require many alterations. He did not think that there was much opposition to the principle of town planning. His own view was that the scheme prepared was too cumbersome and in too much detail. A simple scheme, based more on principle, was needed. ... The payment of compensation by local, authorities had been, causing sojne, worry, a,, delegate, said, but Mr Mawson replied that he felt that compensation had been something of . a bogy. The legislation was admittedly somewhat obscure on that .point and there was no case law' indicating its effect. He thought that compensation was only payable where there was a definite transfer of property rights and not where there was merely a restriction of rights. In the whole , history of town planning in Great Britain the numbe/ qf compensation cases could be counted on the fingers. Towards the ? end of the conference notice of motion was given by Mr G. A. Hart as follows: “That this second metropolitan town planning conference form Itself into a town-planning committee with a view to securing the co-operation of local "authorities and all other interests affected, in the preparation of t planning scheme for .£>%, wrreundla*

areas.” This motion will be considered at the next conference. It was explained by Mr W. P. Glue (Christchurch City Council) at the end of the conference that the council was pledged to allow no great delay in the preparation of a plan. The council was committed to having its present plan, or an amended plan,- considered by the bogrd, ! With the objections received. The board had been definitely promised that'lhere would be no undue delay, Mr Mawson and Mr Harper were warmly thanked by the conference for their assistance. The Chamber of Commerce was also thanked for its part in the conference, and its interest in