Green belt attracts most objections

Press, 2 October 1979, Page 2

Green belt attracts most objections

Objection to the green belt' policy is reflected in most of 50 submissions on the Canterbury Regional Planning Authority's draft scheme review. Half the submissions are by local authorities, half by individuals and groups. Special development control areas, deferred development of commercial and industrial areas, and regional assessment of proposed development which would expand or create new' employment areas, have also been objected to. The director of planning (Mr C. B. Millar) and a regional planner (Mr J. White) said that objections to restraints on new housing in the proposed green belt sought comprehensive rural land-use classifications. This would create a strong rural economy to act as a natural restraint on urban sprawl, the submissions said. Mr Millar said a rural'

■scheme section was proposed by the authority, and this would examine efficient land use. On objections to the extent the authority "interfered" at district-scheme levels by opposing condi-tional-use and specified-de-iparture applications, Mr Mil-' I lar said it was obligatory under the new Town and Country Planning Act for the authority to assess the (regional significance of planning applications. The only way the authority couid not interfere would be for district schemes to prohibit specified departures; and conditional-use applications, and strictly define permitted uses only. This; would be too legalistic, he) said. On objections that the authority had no legal right, to include in a review areas that were not covered in the existing regional scheme. Mr Millar said this was a se-j

mantic argument. The region’s boundaries were extended in 1974 and a legitimate review process was to extend the scheme's provisions to those boundaries. In 1959 a scheme review extended the scheme out to boundaries enlarged earlier, Mr Millar said. Hearing of submissions should be completed within six months, adjustments made to the draft scheme, and the proposed scheme published. Once Ministerial) approval is given, it will be-, come part of the operative regional scheme.