TOWN PLANNING

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 127, 25 November 1929, Page 11

TOWN PLANNING

REGIONAL SCHEMES

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The prediction that before another year was past the Town Planning Act of 1926, would be repealed was made by the Director of Town Planning (Mr. J. W. Mawson) in an address at Auckland. "-'' •■..■■•■ : !i ,'TEe1 inevy; 'Act placed'on the Statute; Book this year would remove the difficulties under which local bodies had been labouring, and which had been proved an insuperable obstacle to progress, said Mr. Mawson. He made no secret of the fact that before another year was past the 1926 Act would be Temoved from the Statute Book entirely, and be replaced by new legislation, more in accordance with the modern theories and practices of town planning, and dealing more efficiently with the special problems of New Zealand.

Mr. Mawson said that regional planning :tonded to destroy , the case for amalgamation. . It was now found possible by the creation of a master plan to carry on more efficiently with several small units than under larger schemes of metropolitan government embracing very wide areas. N

Regional planning could be described as. the rationalisation of local government, and already the Dominion had gi,ven effect to many matters in this connection which other countries would consider highly desirable. Indeed, the country had in its hands an instrument which, if properly used, could be made to exercise a greater influence over the: social and economic life of the community than that resulting from, legislation in recent years. To be successful, however, the matter had to'be approached in the right spirit. Parochialism would cripple any scheme from the very outset. It was necessary for regional committees to forget their national and local politics, and work in the interests of the community as a whole.

Touching on the proposal that regional planning seliemes would bo preceded by a comprehensive survey, Mr. Mawson said that individual schemes should give a fairly clear idea of the possibilities of the future, and contain classification of land, and definement of such details as catchment areas, reserves, power distributing, mains and drains, etc. Maps of these existing amenities should have an influence on the trend of development, and prove a forcible lesson for the future. Once a regional plan had been approved any local authority would find it difficult to depart from the provisions contained in the particular scheme concerning it. The schemes would be' the means of saving the country money, ,as they would lay down a definite policy of development, and enable the saving, of ;a considerable percentage of money spent but of public funds in regard both to capital expenditure and, maintenance. The.area which would probably be controlled by a regional authority would be 500,000 acres, with a population of 231,000, and a capital value of £86,600,000. A rate of one-fiftieth of a penny provided for in the new Act would produce £7000, and be adequate for the purposes of any committeo in Now Zealand. This amount was practically double that which had been found necessary to allocate for regional schemes in England.