PAST MISTAKES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26532, 6 August 1947, Page 6

PAST MISTAKES

CITY FAR FROM WELL PLANNED LOOKING TO FUTURE Commendation of the suggestion by the Otago Regional Planning Council that a Metropolitan Town Planning Authority should be set up for Dunedin was expressed by Mr J. H. White, a well-known city architect. Some years ago* ho said, members of the town planning section of the R°y a l New Zealand Institute were co-opted by the City Council as an advisory committee on town planning and they recommended that a permanent and highly qualified town planning officer should be appointed. Unfortunately, this recommendation was not adopted, Mr White said. Any move now to carry out modern town planning in the metropolitan area should be welcomed by all sections of the comm“ The greater the number of people that can be interested in the planning of the city the more chance there will be that it will be planned in a proper manner,” Mr White said. “We are inclined to assume blandly that Dunedin is well planned, but actually this is far from being the case. From a traffic viewpoint it is most awkwardly planned. Traffic is forced into three main street— Princes-George streets Cumberland and Castle streets and serious bottlenecks occur where they are least wanted in the very centre of the city. Although Moray place may look clever on the map it compiicates our traffic problems considerably.” § Early Planning Essential Mr White referred to the "unfortunate approaches to the suburbs. St. Clair was marred by its approach past the railways workshops, 'Anderson s Bay by the drive past the locomotive sheds and the gasworks, and the hill suburbs were lacking in good access roads, although the Albert street extension would improve Roslyn and Kaikorai’s position. , . “It is essential to plan early for future expansion and development and not wait until that development takes place,” Mr White said. The publi is apathetic in these matters and a planning authority is needed It is essential, too, that some strong direction be enforced in regard to town planning, for when matters are referred to the public unwise decisions more often than not are made We have instances in Broadway and the proposal several years ago to move the Dunedin Public Hospital to another site away from the centre of the city —a suggestion that was approved by the medical authorities but decided against by the public. • «There are many instances where planning is necessary today,” he added. “The use of the foreshore should have been decided and the area properly planned some time ago. It is no use erecting buildings haphazardly on the area and then having to remove them if it is to be used as an airport. “Long-term development of the harbour should be planned and not just by the Harbour Board alone for it is a city and a provincial matter, he added. “The University is going in for large-scale development and its plans should be incorporated in those for the development of the city. Many Aspects of Planning • Mr White pointed out that townplanning embraced many aspects of city life. There were such subjects as social grouping and major uses as applied to various areas in the city. Open spaces and park systems should be well spread throughout new areas to give breathing space, and schools should be built adjacent to them. Communications, embracing roads, runways, harbour facilities and aerodromes. shopping centres, housing and industrial surveys were other aspects that had to be fully considered, he said The correct placing of heavy and • light industries in relation to prevailing winds as they applied to the smoke nuisance, was also most important. Density of population and the limiting of heights of buildings in various areas had to be determined and the placing of hospitals, schools and public utilities was a matter of careful consideration. “ This move is in the right direction," Mr White added, “and I hope it produces results. It is to be. hoped, too, that any planning authority will have control over Government building. for that is necessary if the scheme is to succeed completely.”