PLANNING FOR NOW AND THE FUTURE

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31088, 17 June 1966, Page 21 (Supplement)

PLANNING FOR NOW AND THE FUTURE

The Christchurch Regional Planning Authority is an example of local bodies banding together for the good of the metropolitan area. In Christchurch the authority’s region goes beyond the area to deal with planning of regional significance. Represented on the authority are the City Council, Riccarton and Kaiapoi boroughs, the counties of Waimairi, Heathcote, Paparua, Eyre and Hailswetl, although not all the parts of the last three mentioned are .within the region. Special-purpose authorities and interested Government departments and others have non-voting representation.

The work that has captured the greatest interest is the master transport plan, which set out to provide for the traffic situation that will be met in 1980; but' there

have been other important achievements. First the authority defined an urban fence for the whole region, outside which subdivision for residential purposes was prohibited. This plan Is almost due for its first five-yearly review. The authority was responsible for the Summit Road Protection Act, preserving a senic drive from residential or other building development, and through its Summit Road Advisory Committee it has a watching brief on any devolpment that may interfere with the Port Hills skyline. It has surveyed and laid out the needs for industry and commercial, investigated the future needs for parking in the central city, and supervised a long, scientific study of air pollution, the results of which will be announced publicly* soon.