CITYr IMPROVEMENTS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 270, 13 August 1942, Page 8

CITY r IMPROVEMENTS

Council’s Opportunity In Wellington CASE OF MANNERS STREET “What an opportunity for the city council to bring about a big city improvement,” was the comment of a well-known Wellington citizen when viewing the repair activities in Manners Street. “If the council were big enough, it could scarcely make a mistake now in initiating an improvement for all time; but if it permits solid fronts to go up in the case of all these damaged buildings, Manners Street will always be a business slum, as it has been for 20 years past.” There lias probably been no main street in the four centres of New Zealand which has .progressed so little architecturally in the last decade as Manners Street, yet its importance is obvious. That the city council of 15 years ago thought something should be done was made obvious by the streetwidening proclamation placed upon the southern side of the street. This ruled that when premises were rebuilt or burnt out, the new building was to be erected on a line 20ft. 6in. back from the centre of the present street. It usually happens that when such a proclamation is decreed. nothing happens to these thoroughfares. That has been the case with Manners Street, as there is one instance only of rebuilding in the last 20 years. Tri that case the owners were permitted to erect a false front so as not to be handicapped in trade by being recessed. With so many. of the buildings on the southern side being reconditioned through earthquake destruction the time is here to consider the position. The city council has already taken the precaution to acquire certain land, so that owners may not have to sacrifice the full 20ft. 61n. in depth, from one section of Manners Street. Plans are in the air. Already a sketch plan' of what might be done to bring about a considerable improvement • has been submitted to the works committee of the city council. This not only deals with Manners Street, but with the whole area. Another view taken of the present situation is that of the traffic angle. Manners Street has always been considered too narrow a street to take double tramway tracks, the existence of which makes it a rather perilous place for motor traffic. A traffic officer has made the suggestion that the Old idea of constructing only a single central tramway track be pursued, and that in compensation for the loss of the other track, a single track be constructed from Willis Street via Mercer Street, and Wakefield Street to Cuba Street. With each of these tracks providing for one-way traffic the whole situation would, it is estimated, be eased. This proposal is by no means a new one. It was suggested at the time Mercer Street west was widened, as a means of easing the congestion at the corner of Willis and Manners street-