REBUILDING ENGLAND

Grey River Argus, 11 April 1911, Page 8

REBUILDING ENGLAND

; ■- — **^-.i—- ■■■„■ LONDON, (Feb. 17. One of the best signs that the Old Country is not decadent, as cack sure ' critics have been too ready to declare, is the growth of ' the townplanning; movement: The increasing- demand for health, beauty, spaciousness, and dignity in corporate life is an indication that the nation is awakening to a sense of its possibilities. The Town Planning Conference and. Exhibition opened in Chelsea, this week is, indeed, a most hopeful sign of >the"~times. Prominent among the leaders of this great is the Right Confernce was a most inspiring per^ Hon. John Burns. His address to the formance, full of hope for the future. iHe poiptted out the dangers of delay in his own vivid- way "If we go on as we have "been doing," he said, "in fifty years time there will be nothing but an elongated slum from Lancaster to Rugby. "The danger of this calamity will be better realised when I tell you that every fif teen years 500,000 acres of land is converted from agricultural and ruother similar buildings. It might be described as the march of ugliness ral land into factories, workshops and over a fair country. Town-planning cannot resist the advances of industry, but it 'an dir?ct i:s r- ■ '■><;; n»j> ' and beautify its aspect. Though England is awakening late in the day— -^Germany and other places .are years, ahead in this matter — the town-planning movement is now a vigorous arid healthy infant. Mr Burns, as president of the local Government Board, has just approved the promotion of one large scheed the promotion of one lareg scheme ,and is holding public.e nquiries on two other schemes, involving a total area of no less tlian TO, OOO. acres. Moreover thirty^ or forty urban authorities are considering the promo tion of town-planning 1 , schemes. Even the -Black Country, which ugliness has hitherto claimed for its own, shows signs pf N wanting to use the Town Planninct Act. Birmingham, the unlovely has also received sanction for a scheme to house 180,000 people in 2400 acres of garden city. Ruislin and (Northwood 'to the north of London, are setting 1 aside 6000 acres for a like purpose. In London itself we have evidence of the town-planning: spirit in the proposal to move Charing" Cross station to the south side of the river, and build in its place a grand approach to Trafalgar Square and a new bridge over the Thames. Greater still is the scheme recommended to-day by the London Traffic Branch of the Board of Trade, to spend £20,000,000 in constructing- 100 miles of new roads into and through London to cope with the enormous growth of the traine. : "Every • million spent at the present time would be a great investment," they declare. The main feature of this London scheme is the creation of v four great avenues , each 100 feet ■wio'e, viz., Eastern 'AlveniJ*., Jj3 • miles, from Hackney to Aomford. ' Western Avenue, $3 miles, *"f rom • , Paddington, via Hanwell to Uxbridge must be set the ; millions lost every ' Cberts~ey ; (Road, 10 miles, from Knights'bridge ito' : Chef tsey. ! North Circular r ßoad, 18i' miles from Brentford, via Hendoa and Horn sey to Tottenham. • - ; To : maintain ' and light the new roads would add to the rates a sum 6i £70,000 a year, but against this must be set the milions. lost every yeaxi by traffic delays. Large as the •expense must be, the cost of inaction is also very heavy. Besides, the work will have to be "done sooner or later, and the experts say that if the scheme is put off for eight years the cost will Iprob ably 'be doubled.