DEVELOPMENT OF BELFAST

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28080, 22 September 1956, Page 12

DEVELOPMENT OF BELFAST

Planning Authority’s Proposals WAIMAIRI COUNCIL SEEKS EXTENSION OF AREA The Waimairi County Council does not agree with the limits of the Regional Planning Authority’s proposed urban fence for the Belfast area, and will advise the board that it considers that both sides of Johns road and the Main North road should be included, and that the urban fence should be connected to the urban area to the south. This recommendation of its town planning and reserves committee was adopted by the council at its meeting on Thursday evening. In the report of the regional planning officer (Miss Nancy Northcroft), which was considered by the committee, it was recommended that urban development in Belfast be permitted within the urban fence as at present defined. There were a few more than 300 houses in Belfast, now, reported Miss Northcroft, and within the present area of 420 acres twice that number could be built.

As the Main North road ran through Belfast, it was intended, where possible, to keep . future development “either to one side or the other of it, in order to avoid the dangers of crisscross local traffic across a main through road.”

The break of a mile, almost free of buildings, between the Styx overbridge and the southern part of Belfast should be maintained, said Miss Northcroft. This was recommended because it was considered that for some time to come there would not be enough demand for sites to develop that land to any depth back from the road, probably only one section deep along either side. “This would not only create traffic hazards, but would retard the further development within Belfast itself. Expansion of Nucleus "There is already a substantial nucleus of development within Belfast, and it is most desirable that every encouragement should be given for it to grow around this existing nucleus. “In this way the community there can be more conveniently and economically provided, not only with water and sewerage, but also with shops, school’s open spaces and so on. Every house built along the main road will mean, for the present, one less house built within Belfast itself.” Miss Northcroft said that the land considered in her report lay only to the west of the railway. The factories to the east were not included within the urban fence. The council adopted the authority’s recommendations on Kainga and Stewart’s Gully—“that they be left as non-conforming uses in the rural zone, that no urban fence- be drawn around them, and that further subdivision and building development be refused.” Both Brooklands and Spencerville should be contained-within the urban fence, as at present drawn, because each settlement could develop into a satisfactory suburb, said Miss Northcroft. The council adopted her recommendations on these two areas.