Comment From The Capital OFFICES-ONLY PLAN GIVES A LEAD

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30497, 20 July 1964, Page 10

Comment From The Capital OFFICES-ONLY PLAN GIVES A LEAD

. (Front Otlr Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 19. Wellington appears to be giving other cities a lend in an aspect of town planning by introducing in one area of the city a zone in which only offices can be built. Last week, the City Council decided shops will only be allowed in that zone with the approval of the council.

The decision . indicates the line of thinking in the council, one which will probably be fully developed in its district planning scheme. The idea is that a “commercial” zone is an insufficient definition, for it permits all kinds of commercial buildings, regardless of whether they are shops, offices or warehouses, within the zone. The area first affected is a strip of The Terrace, behind one of the main .shopping streets, Lambton quay, where several large office blocks have been built or will soon be erected.

If businessmen want to build shops here, the council will probably approve only those types of sjtops which will usefully serve people working in the area. On the other hand, the policy is likely to reserve the most attractive shopping sites for retailers. This is not the only planning change envisaged in Wellington. Another is to regulate the amount of building covering small sites. The council is already attempting to persuade property owners and architects to cooperate in developments. It has had some success. .This is an alternative to the city itself buying and amalgamating titles for comprehensive development in which

buildings will be harmonised and the sites used to best advantage. The need for this has been illustrated by the first three office buildings to go up in The Terrace. Here, where one was already in existence and two were begun almost simultaneously, the two southernmost are very close together and are shaded by the third. The architectural effect is much diminished and the advantages of tall, free-standing buildings are reduced. A move towards daylighting controls which already operate in cities abroad is pro posed by the council. These would avoid a recurrence of The Terrace situation. A further problem is exercising the council in its consideration of the many applications it is receiving for permits to build blocks of flats How many garages should there be? The outcome will probably be similar to the decision on sub-zoning for the commercial area. The number of garages, one for each flat, of three or five for each four flats, will probably depend on the nature of the block. In the case of a luxury block, the ratio may be fixed at five garages for every four flats on the assumption that the owners may have more than one car.