HOUSING SCHEME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22205, 4 September 1935, Page 13

HOUSING SCHEME

FLATS OR DWELLINGS CITY ENGINEER'S VIEWS COTTAGE ESTATES FAVOURED REPORT TO THE COUNCIL In its housing plan the Auckland City Council has adopted a recommendation of the Finance Committee that, provision be made for tho erection of 120 flats and 125 semi-detached houses. In this: connection the report of the city engineer, Mr. J. Tyler, in which ho dealt with the desirability of cottage settlements for workers as against apartment houses, is of particular interest. This report was before the council last Thursday, when the housing question was under review, and the engineer expressed himself as being in favour of the council directing its attention to cottage estate schemes. In support of his views on this vital qucs? tion Mr. Tyler quoted extracts from the memorandum prepared as the result oil joint meetings between representatives of the Institute of Municipal and County Engineers and the TownPlanning Institute held recently in England. Preference for Houses The conclusions noted in the memorandum were as follows: —"In general, we are strongly of the opinion that houses are preferable to flats. Although we admit that in some large cities and towns, and in certain circumstances, such as tho high cost of land, the provision of a limited number of flats is necessary, we think that many municipalities would erect the houses in preference to the flats; and that so far from being especially encouraged, flats should only be erected where demanded by exceptional circumstances." The reasons for preferring houses to flats for working class accommodation were summarised, as follows:—(1) The strong tradition of home life cbnracteristie of British people, which is a principal factor for social stability and contentment; (2) privacy and senso of individuality which the single-family house provides; (3) facility for gardening; (4) facility for mothers to supervise children's play without keeping them indoors Question of Cost (5) The many drawbacks of staircase and elevator access to upper floors; (6) flats are generally more costly to erect than houses containing similar accommodation; (7) the absence of evidence that the majority of tenants in central areas to be rehoused are employed in the immediate vicinity, notwithstanding that there are a certain number of workers who must bo housed in or near the centre because of the nature of their employment. Mr. Tyler said that the only "exceptional circumstances" that could possibly justify the clearance and rehous- . ing of central areas wero those that . could be established on the grounds of ' public health, and these, in his opinion, did not exist in Auckland. He thought : that it was safe to assert that' in tho ' true sense of the word there were no "slums" in the city. Clearing "Decadent Areas" It was acknowledged, however, that there were "decadent areas" or neighbourhoods which displayed undesirable qualities or tendencies prejudicial to the aesthetic advancement of the city and which were liable to become a social and economic liability to tho community. Their clearance could, he considered, ] be entrusted to the process of industrial and commercial expansion, and the ultimate realisation of this, although ad--5 mittedly somewhat slow, could be 5 achieved by rigid adherence to tho - zoning schemes that had already been . adopted by tho council, thus preventing the promiscuous establishment of, industrial premises and "backyard" factories in the residential areas, and 3 for industrial buildings (which in most ; cases included the decadent areas) to 3 be more rapidly absorbed by industries. r In view of these considerations, Mr. ' Tyler said it appeared to him that it | would be advisable for the council to ' direct its attention to the selection of I sites suitable for the development of I cottage estates. PROCEDURE FOR LOAN QUESTION OF A POLL DECISION NOT YET MADE Although it h generally understood that Labour members of the Auckland City Council are favourable to the proposal to take advantage of the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act which give them power to raiso a loan of £200,000 for the erection of workers:' dwellings without first obtaining the consent of the ratepayers, leaders of the party are not prepared to commit the council to this view. When this point was submitted td one of the spokesmen for the Labour 1 members yesterday he would not comment on it beyond saying that tho council had not yet officially decided whether or not a poll M ould' bo taken..