BUILDING PROGRESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24773, 25 November 1941, Page 8

BUILDING PROGRESS

LAND DEVELOPMENT

CO-ORDINATED SUBDIVISION

General commendation was expressed by members of the City Council of a preliminary review of land development in the Dunedin city, area, with:particular reference to the council's policy concerning subdivision, which came before the fortnightly meeting of ths council last night. The review was made by the city engineer (Mr ;S. G. Scoular), and it was described by the chairman of the Works Committee (Cr J. Wilson) as;outlining a forward; policy. -,,'. -&P- . % to be cl«ar," the engineer stated ihvhis introduction to the report whicfr-nas been ..published; " that, the time'toas now arrived when a wide view;'must be taken of schemes, for land frdfvel opmeht- with ,the object of ensuring > that' subdivisions shall form part of plan for. con-tigucms^apeaavand-fit in with a general scheme fosUrbanJand development; Form of Town Planning " This is "really a form of town planning," Cr Wilson said, "'Panhandle' sections have become commdnj and this is a preliminary step to aid subdivision." "In many ways," said Cr W. B. Taverner, "this sets an entirely new standard in dealing/ with, areas that might be brought into subdivision." It was important that the council should do everything possible to encourage the making of land available for building, but care would have .to be taken to guard against unfair benefits of unearned increment to property owners. No doubt that aspect would be watched. Cr L. J. T. Ireland praised the review as a progressive .ipov,e' fp( which the city had been waiting for many years. The restrictions imposed by the council on building land had been a main cause of the congestion of to-day. "This is a policy of city expansion which should -be fostered," he said: Unearned Increment The Mayor (Mr A. H. Allen) also mentioned that care would have to be taken to guard against' the unearned increment factor. The main object of the scheme, Cr Wilson said, was not to relieve subdividers of roading responsibilities, but to eliminate blind streets and unwieldy and unsightly arrangements.