TOWN-PLANNING SCHEME

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23461, 16 October 1941, Page 8

TOWN-PLANNING SCHEME

SURVEY OF GREATER CHRISTCHURCH The services of the Government town-planning officer, Mr J. W. Mawson, have been promised by the Minister for Internal Affairs (the Hon, W. E. Parry) for the preliminary survey of the area proposed to be included in the metropolitan town plan covering Christchurch, Sumner, Riccarton, Lyttelton, Halswell, Heathcote, Paparua, and Waimairi. A request for Mr Mawson’s services was made to the Government by a large conference of v local bodies and representative orga- «, nisations in August. t . The Government’s decision was announced in a letter received yesterday by the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr E. H. Andrews) from Mr Parry, who said the Government had considered, the resolutions passed by the confprence The approval of the Cabinet had Sow been given to the request that Mr .Mawson’s services be made available to the local authorities in the area Mr Parry enclosed a copy of a letter sent to Mr W. S. Mac Gibbon, president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, who presided at the conference. , , , ... . .. “The Government feels that in the circumstances the local authorities concerned should be responsible for all costs incurred by Mr Mawson in carrying out this work, with the exception of his salary, which will continue to be paid by the department, _said Mr Parry in this letter. I shall be glad to learn whether these arrangements are satisfactory to the Chris - church local authorities, when I will be pleased to arrange for Mr Mawson to make the necessary contacts. Mr Andrews expressed satisfaction with the Government’s As acceptance of it would depend on the financial arrangements being acceptable to the many interests concerned, it would probably be necessary for re presentatives to be called together ag fhe decision of the conference to seek the services of the Government town-planning officer was unanimous, as was a resolution that the preliminary survey, when completed, should be presented as soon as possible to another session of the conference for explanation, consideration, and discusSl< Mr Mawson himself attended, and gave an outline of his views on the planning of the city. He thought provision should be made for an increase in the population to 160,000 in the next 25 years, beyond which .time it was not safe to plan. He saw the area named as a single social and economic area, with similar interests, notwithstanding the “exigencies of the local government system” which established the separate districts within it. Speakers hailed the conference as an important step in bringing nearer a town plan for Greater Christchurch.