CHANCE FOR PLANNER

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 144, 14 March 1931, Page 8

CHANCE FOR PLANNER

Q uake Reconstruction HASTINGS MOVE Mr. J. W. Mawson’s Views NAPIER PLANS FOR FUTURE Dominion Special Service. Hastings, March 13. As a result of a, conference with Mr. J. W. Mawson, Director of Town Planning, at Hastings on Wednesday afternoon, a meeting of Hastings business men decided to form a town planning committee to discuss the desirability of widening Heretaunga Street, the main business street of the town, and of making other adjustments as may be necessary. The Town Planning Board would cooperate to the fullest possible extent In having a scheme approved, said Mr. Mawson. As a result of his own experience with sueh problems, he could say that under proper guidance there need he no technical difficulties left unsolved. He did not know of any town that had suffered as Hastings and Napier had suffered, and that had not ultimately emerged a better and. finer town. It was useless to rush matters, however. It would be taking an undue risk to put up permanent buildings until it became certain that earthquakes in the locality had ceased. It would be advisable, he thought, to carry on in temporary buildings for at least six or eight months. Example of Santa Barbara. Had a town planning scheme been in existence before the earthquake, said Mr. Mawson, Hastings would now have been able to go ahead with it immediately. Santa Barbara, which had been completely devastated in 1926, had at that time a town planning scheme in operation, and almost before the dust had cleared away the city had a scheme ready to go ahead with. To-day it was an incomparably fine city; probably one of the finest in existence anywhere in the world. “I do beg of you, however,” he continued, “when thinking of public safety not to place too much emphasis oh structural stability, but rather on the questions that can be dealt with under a town-planning scheme. See to it that the regulations which have been brought forward are properly applied. I can help you by giving you the benefit of whatever expert knowledge I possess.” Town planning was not merely a matter of widening streets, although the design and structure of buildings should have a definite relationship to street widths, said Mr. Mawson. The town should first put its house in order, and then make the best possible use of the floor space available. . All the necessary legislation already existed, added Mr. Mawson, and the question now was how to go about putting a scheme into operation without placing too heavy a burden on the people. There were three ways—namely, pooling, betterment, and special assessment. It should not be assumed that property would diminish in value, in spite of necessary charges (such as the capital levy) against it. In every place where ..town planning had been carried out properties" had actually increased in value. Mr. George Ebbett: What can pro-perty-owners do? Half of them are in the hands of mortgagees. Mr. S. Higgins (Napier) said that the matter had been satisfactorily dealt with in Napier anfl in other towns where the building line had been set back. Mr. Mawson said it would take a good deal to convince him that the whole cost of town planning would be any more than the cost of the plan itself. WIDER STREETS Plans for the New Napier . PRACTICAL SCHEME By Telegraph—Press Association. Napier, March 13. A plan is being evolved for a bigger and brighter Napier. It provides for stretching the city toward the sea, which has appreciably receded. This will permit of wider streets, all property-owners getting the same size of section as they possessed but in a slightly altered position, each section being moved seaward. The scheme has been referred to a committee for a report. The surveyors recommended it as simple and effective. COMISSION’S PLANS Order of Restoration Work STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN Dominion Special Service. Hastings, March 13. The first duty of the commission which took conftol of municipal affairs in Napier on Wednesday, said the chairman (Mr. J. S.,Barton, S.M.), will be the restoration of municipal services. With that work was closely allied the work of restoring shops and otherwise of setting commerce in full motion again. Next came the question of finance, and on that subject the commission would be pleased to receive any advice that could be given. Thirdly, came the policy to be adopted in the general rehabilitation of the town. Associated with Mr. Barton as commissioner is Mr. L. B. Campbell, of the Public Works Department, who was given much praise by the authorities for his assistance in restoration work at Hastings. Both were officially welcomed by the Mayor (Mr. J. Vigor Brown) on Wednesday. Referring to building and to restoration generally, Mr. Barton said that the first thing to be considered was whether the land was now reasonably stable. The commission would have to decide among other things whether' earthquakes were now becoming less frequent and less severe, and in their decision they would, of course, be guided by the opinions of experts. When it had been decided that there was sufficient stability the commission would then be able to allow the erection of permanent buildings to proceed, but such buildings would have to comply with the earthquake building regulations now being prepared. A start would be made with a comprehensive building' scheme. Mr. Barton continued, and never before had there been a more favourable opportunity for the introduction of the betterment principle. He was extremely hopeful that out of the present conditions the town would be able to obtain a quite appreciable amount of financial help for the future. “I assure you that so far as we are able,” said Mr. Campbell, “we shall function to your entire satisfaction. At a period sueh as this there is a danger of getting lost in a mass of detail. The emergency period has passed, and it is up to us to broaden the outlook and adopt proper policies and measures. We should ger good advice (for good advice is always eheap) for rehabilitation with a view to the final building up of Napier to what it should be.”