Problems Of Planning

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31942, 20 March 1969, Page 16

Problems Of Planning

Shortcomings in town and country planning were not necessarily the fault of the planners, who must work within the framework of the system that had been evolved, Mr P. J. Beaven said in an address to the annual meeting of the Halswell Improvements Society on Tuesday night. Mr Beaven, an architect, said it was possible that New Zealand had not yet found a system quite appropriate to this country, which had a relatively high standard of education and egalitarian rights of protest. It could be that New Zealand was overplanned and that surprises and idiosyncracies gave the real humanity to new plans. England bad recognised the need for participation in fashioning and environment. In New Zealand, which was short of planners and many of whom were concerned with preventive planning, communities could help planners by their local knowledge and by discussion and communication within the over-all framework.

Mr Beaven advised the society that it should list, photograph and identify the features which go towards making up the identity of the Halswell “village.” It was possible that all space in the area could be used and the community become even more of a village, providing the range and variety of buildings were preserved.