TOWN PLANNING.

Northern Advocate, 15 August 1919, Page 2

TOWN PLANNING.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Many years since our Harbour Board were continually being , reconv mended through the meliuui of your columns to have a comprehensive plan prepared for the. improvoment of the whole harbo\ir, not necessarily for immediate carrying out, but so as to insure whenever any smaller or larg er improvements were being made fchat such improvements might be in agreement with that comprehensive plan. Now at long last the Harbour Board has adopted ani carried out those recommendations at least so far as the comprehensive , plan as concerned, and their action has been endorsed by a great preponderance of opinion throughout the whole of the district concerned. Town planning and beautifying are now "in the air" > and it is quite as important that before any alterations in the ground plan of the town are marie that a comprehensive plan of the whole should be prepared, so that all alterations wherever or whenever made, may be so carried out as to fall in with that comprehensive plan. Let an expert be put on the job, as \u the case of the Harbour Board, and study the district and its wants from all points of view and prepare the plan and make the path plain and easy for the carrying out of the same, and then when public sanction has been obtained, the work can be get on with, here a little and there a little, as time and circumstances permit, till the whole had been completed. There is m o need for rates to b? increased if the scheme is thoughtfally prepared and intelligently carried out. After the first start It wUI finance it-self and go on producing further funds for further works or rate reduction. There should be, and It seems to me might easily be, tare 3 main roads through Whangarei. At present there is only one. Another should run along close or near to-the foot

of the western hills and the third starting from the inilway station should go through in a straight line to the top of James sti'ett, then along James street and over Uie Victoria swing , bridge, and again in as straight a line as fairly possible to and "through the Parahairi gorge (there would be a good deal of opposition to this) and on to the Paranui bridge and continued again in as straight a line as possible to ihj fails or Huanui bridge. A-ny practical person who will take the trouble to Uiink out this route cannot fail to see its enorm ous advantages and how it might soon be paying its way ten times over. 1 would like, whh your permission, and on a futur; occasion, to write a few lines on tie financing of the two additional main roads that are so much required )<■ Whangarei. When there are three main roads properly planned running 'hrough the towu any awkwardness in the planning of the side streets will be much lessened or will v-i'.iisb entirely.—l am, etc.,M.I.P.