Whangarei Lendls Itself To Town Planning Scheme

Northern Advocate, 26 April 1944, Page 3

Whangarei Lendls Itself To Town Planning Scheme

Town planning like house planning means orderly arrangement of functions so that the citizen can go about his daily tasks with the minimum expenditure of time and effort and the maximum of safety and cbm fort, even the children going to school. This simple definition of town planning was given today by the town planning officer of the Department of Internal Affairs (Mr V/. J. Mawsoni in an interview with the “Northern Advocate."

Mr Mawson has been in Whangarei. for the past two days consulting with the borough council and local body officials regarding the needs of Whangarei. Continuing with his explanation of town planning Mr Mawson went on to say that “planning should be related to transport facilities and public utilities and recreational and social amenities. The amount of land required for these various functions has a definite relationship to the total amount of land utilised as well as to the population they serve. We know, for instance, how much land can be absorbed by industry and commerce per unit of population (a unit usually being taken ns 100 residents), and how much should be set aside for streets and reserves. We know also vyhat is the highest building density that can bo permitted in the central business districts without running the risk of traffic congestion, which is one of the worst evils that can overtake any urban community. Anticipated Population “If I were asked to prepare a plan for Whangarei the first question to ask would be what is the anticipated population 25 years hence! That question can readily be answered with a reasonable degree of accuracy by reviewing the resources of the territory served by the town. That is the basis and real function of regional planning and I am hoping that it will be possible to get the local authorities and other interests concerned to carry out a survey of the Whangarei region which will show us what the potentialities are in regard to future development and population growth.

The economy of Whangarei, like that of the great majority of towns outside the four main centres, is inseparably bound up with the economy of the region which it serves. In other words, without industries established in Whangarei which serve national rather than local or regional markets, the population of the town is dictated almost entirely by the development and growth of population of the rural areas.

“Even if we have to make a guess at the future population of Whangarei. that is better than not having a basis on which to plan. Let us assume for the sake of argument, that Whangarei—that is to say. the urban unit, rather than the political unit —will double its population in the next 25 years, which certainly is not unreasonable to suppose. It is then a comparatively simple matter to allocate the correct amount of land for the various functions of the town to satisfy the needs of the future population and to plan in advance for the streets, water supply, sewerage disposal, electric power and other utilities with a reasonable degree of assurance that public moneys will not be wastfully expended. “That is the economic basis of town planning, but the social benefits it confers on the community are, in my opinion, of ever greater importance. That is to say, • town planning is intimately and directly concerned with everything in our physical environment which affects the health, safety, convenience and comfort of the citizens. As illustrations of this I would point to provisions controlling (he light and air space in and around all habitable buildings; the provision of recreational facilities to serve all age groups and situated where they will provide the maximum of utility; location of schools; shopping facilities; social centres -and other social amenities in relation to the residential areas. Not the least important phase of town planning is to secure the highest possible standard of beauty in all parts of the town, particularly in the residential areas—by that I mean to secure the highest possible standard of architectural design in buildings, well laid-out streets, with grass verges planted with trees and shrubs, the setting back of residential buildings to make provision for front gardens, and, above all, to prevent or control all forms of outdoor advertising, which so disfigures the towns and countryside in New Zealand.

Democratic Procedure

“There is just one other point,” said Mr. Mawson, “I would not like anyone to get the impression that town planning is something which can be imposed on the community by tbe Borough Council or the Town Planning Board. The procedure to be followed ensures that every property owner or occupier is fully consulted at all stages in the preparation of the scheme, and that, if in the interest of the community at large, il is necessary to restrict someone’s property rights out of proportion to the other members of the community then that person is entitled to full compensation. "To achieve its real purpose town planning calls for thq highest degree of cooperation and goodwill on the part of all sections of the community not only in the preparation of the scheme but m its administration. To understand how necessary it is that there should be this degree of co-operation we have only to reliect that, in addition to the Boroubgh Council there is the Harbour Board, the Hospital Board, the Education Board, the Power Board, a number of Government departments, such as housing, public works and post and telegraph and some thousands of private property owners, all of whom no doubt, have their own ideals and policies with regard to the furtherance of their separate interests. There are also a number of business and social organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the sports council which are vitally interested in the future development of the borough.

Successful Schemes

"Experience has shown in New Zealand that the property owners and other interests respond very readily when invited to co-operate in the preparation of schemes for the district in which they are interested. As examples of this, I would quote the Hutt Valley development scheme, which embraces the territory of four borough councils and one county council, and involves some of the most important industrial interests in New Zealand. Ail these interests co-operated in the preparation of the scheme which so far has proved to be 100 per cent, successful in execution. “The same can be said of the Christchurch metropolitan area which involves the city council and six other local bodies and embraces an area of 100 square miles and a population of 130,000 people. The metropolitan planning committee was set. up about 18 months ago. representing, not only the local bodies and the Government, but all the principal business and social organisations. That scheme is now approaching finality, and, so far, there has been complete harmony and unanimity in the whole of the committee’s deliberations.

“I am locking forward to co-operat-ing with the people cf Whangarei in a town planning scheme,” concluded Mr. Mawrcn. “Whangarei is already an attractive ar.d well-laid cut tewn in a pleasant setting and a scheme such as I have suggested would give every member of the community an ideal to

work tc.” Mr. Mawson has accepted an invitation from the Borough Council to return to Whangarei soon after the elections, when he will address a public .meeting on the various aspects of town planning-