TOWN-PLANNING PROBLEMS

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24237, 20 April 1944, Page 4

TOWN-PLANNING PROBLEMS

AREA SUGGESTED

4 —— Discussion by County Council

SPECIAL FOOD-PROCESSING

A suggestion that part of the Waimairi County at Papanui should be zoned, under the town-planning scheme as a food : processing area was made at a meeting of the Waimairi County Council last evening by Mi W S. Mac Gibbon, leader of a deputation from the Christchurch Metropolitan Town-Planning Committee, which waited on the council. “We believe that portion of the county at Papanui is one of the most suitable for a food-processing area, said Mr Mac Gibbon. “You already have one large food-processing factory in the county, and another one is to be built. Cereal crops are grown nearby, and we believe you could attract practically all the_ cereal manufacturers of New Zealand to the county. The proposal is worthy of consideration. The full etfects of setting aside the special area may take years to come, but we must take a long view of things, We believe that if you could consider the zoning of a special area, and it became known, it would give a tremendous fillip to your county.” _ The area would be unique in itself, said Mr Mac Gibbon, and the existing factories could be made a magnet to. attract others. The idea was to create a special zone for the manufacture of food products, where it would not be over-built by other industries. It would also be possible for dwellings to be built in the area, and -to form gardens round the factories. “Unique” Subdivision The deputation' also discussed with the council difficulties which had arisen over the subdivision of a section on the North road, between Sisson’s and Langdon’s roads. The owner of the section, Mr L. W. Chenery, had erected a garage on the frontage, and had sold the land at the back, together with a right-of-way, to Mr K. W. Murtagh. The latter had built s cabinetmaking factory on the back section, which had an area of 20.5 perches. The front section had an aitea of 12.5 perches, and the right-of-way was about 14 feet 3 inches wide. The council had decided to approve of the subdivision, but after the factory had been built on the back land, the Minister of Lands had refused to give his sanction to it. , , , . Mr Mac Gibbon detailed correspondence and discussions which had taken place over the problem of the subdivision, which, he said, was unique. His committee was in somewhat of a dilemma over it. The cabinet-making factory did not seem to be doing much harm in a residential area, as the machinery was in operation only during the day. However, the subdivision raised the question whether the adjacent area should be zoned as a light industrial area. The Town-Planning Committee had suggested to the Minister of Lands that because Mr Murtagh had bought the section in good faith he should approve of the subdivision. However, the m committee maintained that there should be a right-of-way 22 feet wide. The Minister had refused to approve of the subdivision before it had come to the knowledge of the committee, added Mr Mac Gibbon. Mr Murtagh was in the position of owning a building on land that did not belong to him Even if the area were_ zoned as light industrial, the subdivision would not conform with the Minister’s requirements. The Town Planning Committee, said Mr Mac Gibbon. was anxious to receive suggestions as to how the difficulties could be surmounted. , „ “The Final Say” “How do we stand now, after the assurance by Mr J. W. Mawson, town planning officer of the Internal Affairs Department, that the council woulu always have the final say in these matters?” asked Cr. D. H. Law. Mr Mac Gibbon explained that the Minister of Lands had the final say. Every subdivision plan in the county had to go to him for approval. The chairman (Mr J. Halligan): How has the Minister taken such an interest in this particular subdivision? I was wondering if anyone had drawn his attention to it. Mr Mac Gibbon: If there had been no town planning whatever, the Minister would not have passed it. Mr Mac Gibbon added that he did not know whether the council could move the Minister (the Hon. C. F. Skinner) in the matter. His committee had already “got a nasty rap over the knuckles” for trying to help. . After the deputation had withdrawn, the' council decided to ask that an area of the county between Sawyer’s Arms road and Northcote road should be zoned as a food-processing area, and that an area v of the North road from Langdon’s road to Sawyers’ Arms road should be zoned as light industrial. Various, suggestions were put forward for the solution of difficulties arising from the subdivision on the North road, and it was eventually decided that Messrs Murtagh and Chenery should be interviewed, and that a report should be presented at the next meeting of the council., On the motion of Cr. F. S. Scott, the council decided to adopt the draft standards received from the TownPlanning Committee, with the exception of the provision regarding the minimum area of sections. The standards proposed by the committee were stated to have the effect of reducing the smallest permissible area of sections in the county from 30 perches to 24 perches. An acknowledgement of the council’s application tor an Order-in-Coun-cil placing the county under the metropolitan town-planning scheme was received from the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry;, who stated that appropriate action would be taken as soon as possible.