TOWN PLANNING

Evening Star, Issue 17375, 10 June 1920, Page 2

TOWN PLANNING

CONFERENCE AT WELLINGTON, j IPer United Press Association.] I WELLINGTON, June 9. Tne Domin ion Town Planning Confer- j ence opened this morning. The President (Hon. C. J. Parr), in welcoming the delegates, said that much of the snade work had been done during tho I past two years, and they now had a ma- I jority of of members of tho House of Representatives pledged to support a reason- ( able town-planning legislation measure. It j must not override the administration of ■ local bodies, but must rather seek for I their co-operation. He thought a depart- j ment of town planning could bo estab- i lished at a cost of £2,000 to £3,000 a year, | and that this was a very small amount to ; pay to prevent a repetition of the mistakes \ «f the past. He hoped to see something definite accomplished during next session. The conference congratulated Mr Parr on his elevation to the Ministry. The Chairman (Mr A. Leigh Hunt), in his opening address, said it was an absolute Tiece-s-Rtv to have a Town Planning Act on tho Statute Book, or else, even in the next 12 months, damage might be done which would take far more than the £2.000 or £3,000 for tho department to repair. The Town Planning Commission would act as a sort of supreme court for settlements of disputes, say, between the local body, the public, and tho State departments. At present a department might erect- a building anywhere without the consent of the local authority. Coordination between the authorities was absolutely necessary. He expressed his opposition to any stereotyped system for all towns, and suggested n town planning j board for each, city, town, or township, ■ I with power to prepare systems for sub- , i mission to the Town Planning Commission ■ | for approval. This would encounvc local - interest, without which town planning ; would not succeed. | Tim proposal for a local town planning i board met with general approval. Tho : conference approved of— | (1) The application of the principles j of town planning to New Zealand j and tho preparation of town-planning . schemes without delay. ' i (2) Necessary legislation in tho form i of a Town Planning and Housing Act. | (3) Tho formation of a town planning i and housing department and the api I pointment of an expert town planner, tiie department to have supervision over all town-planning schemes. (4) The appointment- of a. central ! town planning* commission, to consist I of a town planner ar.-l four other ex- • perts in engineering, archiiccturo. sur- i v-emngp and public health. j (5) The town planner should be a coni- - potent and experienced town planner. | wqh a -mlary which would enable tho Dominion to obtain a first-class man i with actual experience, both in town- i planning scliamcs and garden cities, and | who is recognised by the civic author!- i ties as a town planner of eminence. j It was decided that tho Government I should come _ under the Act where the I joc.il.-aiitimruies should have adopted the : provisions oi the Act- am! a town-planning i distrut hud been declared. Iho conierence discussed the question i whether all improvements, even of minor i schemes, should be submitted in :i town- - planning commission. The Chairman and I Messrs William Page and V. G. Stranehan I were appointed to draft recommendations I covering the point. ! -Ts the result of their deliberations the | committee submitted the following re commendations : Even- borough or town di«- : trkt with n population of over 2,000 -hall j be a town-planning area. The adjacent j land may oe oerlared In lorni pari of the ' area, by the Government on the recom- I inundation of a cential commission. Any I other area may be declared a town-plan- I ning area on the recninmendati-m of the Central Commission and at the request of the local authority. Every local townplanning hoard shall be constituted of : (1) Represeuttaives of the several boroughs, counties, and town districts comprised ip the town-planning area to he appointed by the local authorities of those districts ; (2) two other persons, being ratepayers within the. town-planning area, to be elected by Use ratepayers, the elections to be held at tne same time as the elections of the local _ authorities within toe area. It dial! be the duty of the town-)',binning board k» prepare a scheme on town-planning lines within 12 mouths after the date of the establishment of sue!, scheme, and to bo submitted to the town planner for approval. Should such town-planning board fail to prepare a scheme within the time, the central commission shall draft i a scheme, and compel such ’local townplanning board to carry out the same. Until such .scheme is adopted, then no more work shall be undertaken of a character ns determined by the commission without their approval.—l'he recommendations were adopted. The election of officers was deferred until the meeting of the federation, .vh:eh is to 1* heki within two months. Mr R. Hill was elected secretary. Before adjourning the conference doci led to meet the Minister of Internal Affairs and arrange for a deputation from the federation.