NEW STREETS FOR LONDON

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1666, 3 February 1904, Page 23

NEW STREETS FOR LONDON

COSTING NIMH MILLIOMS A MILE.

It is believed ,a- result of the attention which the Royal Commission on London Locomotion is giving to the question that among it® recommenda.tlions will be one strongly urging the necessity of several new lines of thoroughfare in London (says the “Daily News.”)

Some misunderstanding has arisen, over the suggestion in favour of a . ■ "

street from the Strand to the Crystal Palace. Although the cost of such a scheme was dealt with by Mr Andrew Young, valuer to- the London County Council, in hi® evidence before the commission, it must not be supposed! that the County Council has any idea of bringing forward any proposal of the kind, nor that it has ever; contemplated doing so. The true situation is lias. Various witnesses have made proposals to the Royal Commission fori forming extensive new thoroughfares in London, and Mr Young, as the ~>.C.G. valuer, was invited to give some general idea a 3 to the co-st of carving, out new streets through the crowded parts of London. Mr Young, by way of illustration, dealt with a prox>osal that was placed before the commission for a new road from Aldwych, in the Strand, crossing tli 9 Thames between Waterloo and Blaokfriars bridges, and continuing through Southwark and Camberwell to a point near the Crystal Palace. This is a length of nearly seven miles and Mr Young estimated that the necessary property could only he acquired' at a cost -of Ilf millions per mile, or soniei 12 millions lin all.

The scheme, however, would be the least costly of any that have been suggested to the commission f-or creating new thoroughfares in London. - Mr Young was able to show the commission that ’in the more central parts of London the cost of acquiring property would of necessity be very much great." x in S'outh London. The ITolhorn-Stra.nd improvement, for instance, tis working out at the rate of nine millions per mile. Of course, the recoupment in all cases would be considerable. In the new Holborn-Strand case nearly 89 per cent, of the estimated gross cost will be received from the - sale of surplus land! when the improvement is complete.