VASTNESS OF LONDON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20496, 22 February 1930, Page 3 (Supplement)

VASTNESS OF LONDON.

FIFTY MILES OF HOUSES.

QUESTION OF PLAYING ROOM.

To two] North to South, or East to West, across Greater London now means a journey of 50 miles! This illustration of London's vast growth was given recently by Dr. Ray mend Unwxn, who read a paper before the Royal Institute of British Architects. Dr. L'nwin showed a large scale map of Greater London displaying, within concentric circles, the area either built imon or marked for building. So higgledypiggledy was the map that it had all the appearance of a target at. which someone might have thrown a bottle of red ink! "All the r°d marks this, map." said Dr. Unwm, who is technical adviser to the Greater London Regional Flanmng Committee, " represent building in some form or other. No dot represents less than 120 acres, and the vast number of smaller schemes do not appear, • as our scale, large as it is, is too small to take them in. Our problem is how to bring order, health and beauty out of such chaos, and such wicked waste. " Greater London has a circumference of over 150 miies, and the area comprises some 2000 square miles. Yet not more developed, while we are spoiling ten acres to develop one. Such spoliation is quite unnecessary and can be prevented by regional planning conceived and carried out by experts. The time has come, in fact, when Greater London must be treated as an entity.

" Lp to 1321, Gr°ater London wa3 failing to retain its natural increase of population. But since then a large number of new factories have been erected, all demanding workers, and it, is calculated that at least 20,000 people are moving into the area each , year the outer rim of Great London.

When I speak of Greater London I mean the area administered by the London and Heme Counties Advisory Traffic Comniitt.ee. It is much greater than the Metropolitan Police area; it takes in the whole or part cf six counties, and contains 130 local authorities " Under its present haphazard development 'jreater London is in great danger of being deprived not only cf open spaces but, of playing fields. The proper proportion of playing fields to population is seven acres of "land t.o every 1000 of the population. If we are not careful there is going to be no room to play. What vre are aiming at is to make Greater London look like an orderly pattern of developed area spread out on a, background of open space. And it can be done if Londoners will but interest themselves'sufficiently in their magnificent heritage." ,