TOWN-PLANNING BILL

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12528, 18 August 1926, Page 8

TOWN-PLANNING BILL

‘MANY PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES” EFFECTS OF LEGISLATION REGARDED AS OBSCURE ••While this proposed statute i» particularly interesting, and the objects aimed at in it are highly commendable, the effects—now, and especially in the future—of the provisions included are somewhat obscure.” Thus read the opening paragraph ot a review of the Town Planning Bill, which was presented to last night’s meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce for consideration. UNDEVELOPED SCHEMES The report added that if one surveyed local development in the past, he •■•'mid only conclude that the bill vould have many difficulties of a practical nature to overcome. For instance, Petone—then Britannia —was planned in 2840 as the principal settlement on Port Nicholson, and events had shown that a collection of estimated betterment values, on such assumption, would have been unwarranted. There were many examples throughout New Zealand of townships planned, which had never got beyond the plan-preparation stage. Another scheme that had been before the Wellington public for many years was the opening up of the Wainui-o-mata valley by means of a tunnel through the eastern hills of the Hutt valley. The scheme had remained a scheme, but, if it had become a fact, the hettermeut would have been felt much neyond the local area, and certainly beyond borough areas. CREATION OF VALUES ‘‘There will be insuperable practical difficulties in the separation of betterment values from community-creat-ed values and from increased values due to the installation of water, sewerage, electric light, and other facilities and civic improvements. We would instance that the laying down of the Hutt road in permanent - paving has created values in the Hutt Valley and adjoining districts that must be 1 considered apart from any benefit < roin a scheme of town-planning.” . . . Continuing, the review points out that, while the committee was of the opinion that legislation for some measure of town planning was desirable, it considered that the bill, as presented, ion* tained proposals that would not be generally acceptable. As regards betterment value aloi.c, it appeared that it would never bo satisfactorily determined what this tntee was, apart from other factors ;hat added to property values. The committee failed to see how any departure could be made from annual -ating, with perhaps more frequent -ablations, unless by arrangement with property owners. In cases where a scheme of town planning was held up by one or two owners, some compulsion may be warranted to force these objectors to fall in with the other property owners affected. Powers were proposed to be conferred in the bill that might not be wholly acceptable to chambers of commerce, since protests so often been made by them against any iucreaso in legislation. The hill, it was pointed out in conclusion, was receiving further consideration in Parliament, and in all likelihood amendments would result that would make clear many points at present indefinite. PRINCIPLES OF BILL Mr A. L. Hunt said it was quite obvious that the report had been drawn lip by someone who did not understand the principles of the bill. He thought it was unwise to precipitate a discussion on town planning at the present juncture, and suggested that the chairman should support the provisions of. the bill, but oppose the betterment clause. It was eventually decided to support the main principles of the bill, and support the Government in its effort to pass it into law this session, but to emphatically oppose the betterment had so often been made by them against The chamber was of the opinion that such method of collecting betterment was not only wrong in principle, but obviously impossible to apply without considerable hardship. It was further agreed to refer the report back to the Legislation and Statistics Committee for further consideration.