Local Body Control Of Land Suggested

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30447, 22 May 1964, Page 18

Local Body Control Of Land Suggested

f.Vew Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON May 21. Urban progress could be enhanced if local authorities became owners of roughly half the land within their boundaries and leased it for a ground rental as well as normal rates, suggested Mr G. J. Macdonald to the Town and Country Planning Institutes annual conference today. A divisional engineer in the Wellington City engineer's department, Mr Macdonald said this would provide a substantial and continuing additional source of income and facilitate land development, building and subsequent redevelopment. A fund would be required which could be financed with about 50 per cent of the necessary fund monies from revenue and 50 per cent from loan until the scheme was self-supporting, said Mr Macdonald. Income from ground rents would increase as land values rose and thus maintain a comparable relationship to purchasing, he said. Use of land would be stimu-

.lated as occupiers would not ! be faced with finding the capital purchase price of the land lon which they desired to live |or establish a business. I Redevelopment would be [ I facilitated as alternative sites] I would be readily available ini I areas under development. In the early years the authoI rity could acquire the majoirity, if not all, of the land j lying in the belt at least half a mile wide surrounding the I present developed area. I It would be necessary to prepare an over-all scheme for development in the dis- : trict and there was opportunity here for extensive planning suited to the region. The work could be done in blocks by an enterprising contract organisation. The organisation would submit a subdivisional plan for I the block and, subject to this! iconforming to the general scheme, the organisation would be given the land at no ; charge on condition that on completion roughly half the sections would be given' to the local authority without | charge. Payment for the organisaI tion would come from the remaining half of the sections which might be sold at best market price. Such development methods I involved th* authority in capital expenditure for terminal ■ services and amenities but • this was already the case and was a commitment against [rates, said Mr Macdonald. Planned systematic development, however, was likely to I ensure more economic use of such funds.