INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION

Hutt News, Volume 19, Issue 13, 29 August 1945, Page 10

INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION

HUTT VALLEY PROBLEMS HOUSES v FACTORIES Problems affecting industrial concerns due to the increasing shortage of factory sites in Hutt Valley were the subject of a. most interesting address given at the quarterly general meeting of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce by Mr. W. E. Lavelle, who has been closely associated, with the) problems as a member of the Wellington Regional Planning Council and was a member of the sub-committee set up to analyse the question of location of industry. "Although national decentralization of industries is attractive in theory", said Mr. Lavelle, "there were certain limits to its full application and there were many types of industry which by their nature required to be located in such areas as Hutt and Petone. Although some years ago a, defined industrial area was set aside near the mouth of the Hutt river, the rapidity of industrial development had been such that today, hardly a site in this area was now available. This position was aggravated by the very large proportion of this area that was occupied by various Government departments, such as Railway Workshops, P.W.D., D.5.1.R., and others. Organizations such as these could operate with equal efficiency if located anywhere and it was not in the best economic interests that they should occupy such a huge proportion of the available industrial area which was so limited. Further reclamation at the river mouth would only provide a very incomplete answer as such land had certain inherent disadvantages from the indus~ trialists point of view. Essential requirements of industry are: — 1 Proximity to a first class port: 2 Proximity to centres where sufficient workers can be obtained within easy transport from their homes. 0 Proximity to a railway with provisions for more sidings. 4 Adequate services of power, sewage, water supply, etc. (some industries require up to 20,000 gals, of water per hour.) 5 Land which has good load-bear-ing value (heavy loads on reclaimed land would require extensive piling). Unless these fundamental facilities can be offered them industry will not be attracted and the potential progress of the Wellington— Hutt—Petone area might be detoured to some other region or possibly to Australia. Thousands of acres of ideal land tor industrial purposes was taken over by the Housing Department and much of it is now built on. The wisdom of absorbing this land lor the one purpose of housing is openlo very serious question. It would iave been far better to have put the iouses on the hills and reserved the .evel valley land for industry. Fur:hermore, the erection of a solid .>lock of housing from Moera to Upper Hutt without any substantial ndustrial blocks interspersed is also )pen to question. The people who ive there will have to travel very ong distances to their work. There s every reason to recommend that he erection of further houses in the irea approaching Taita Gorge snojriSf l '* >e stopped immediately pending 1 more complete examination into his problem as the area referred to ould be well developed for industry without any deteriation to the surounding areas. Urgency The present circumstances are so ritical from the point of view of ndustrialists desiring to establish hemselves in this area that the * reatest urgency should be devoted o the solution of this problem, /arge industrialists are astounded '. a find the hurdles, obstructions and rustrations with which they are onfronted in their endeavours to et up an industry in this country, 'heir experience in other parts of ' :ie world is that they have been r elcomed with open arms and proided with every facility and assistnce. The fact that they have been repared to extend their activities ito a country, to invest very subantial amounts of capital running ito hundreds of thousands of ounds, to provide employment for undreds of workers, to bring with iem the full benefits of technical nowledge and research and to add ) the economic wealth of the coun■y has been fully appreciated elsehere. When they come to New Zea.nd at the invitation of the Governent they are required to hack their ay through a maze of regulations id controls which appear to them ) be designed mostly to prevent iem rrom doing what they have ien invited to do On top of all iis they find thai no adequate prosion has boon made for them in )vvn planning and zoning schemes id that sites in the only areas here they can establish their inastry on the most economic basis >r the handling of their imported iw materials and the distribution ' their finished product simply do it exist. The matter is one thatf ills for immediate and effective aeon until a full solution is provided, iless the future of Wellington is to" ? seriously prejudiced.