GARAGES AT REAR OF DWELLINGS

Southland Times, Issue 24210, 21 August 1940, Page 6

GARAGES AT REAR OF DWELLINGS

TOWN PLANNING CODE MODIFIED OPPOSITION BY CITY ENGINEER The Reserves Committee of the Invercargill City Council reported last night that it considered that garages should be permitted at the side boundary of residential properties behind dwellings. The city engineer (Mr F. M. Corkill) submitted a report stating that the maintenance of an open space

around the whole area was a fundamental principle and should not be departed from. He suggested that the committee should consult the Town Planning Board before making any move to allow general building on the S 'Tfhe council adopted the recommendation of the committee that the following addition to the Town Planning Code be made: provided further that accessory buildings not exceeding 12 feet in height may be erected on any side yard if such accessory buildings are (i) completely behind the line of the rear of any dwelling on the site or on an adjoining site, and not nearer than 65 feet to the front boundary of an adjacent vacant interior site, and in the case of a vacant site other than an interior site, in such position as the city engineer may approve; (ii) at such distance from every dwelling as is required by the building bylaws in force; (iii) so situated that the light,,of any habitable room is not obscured.” PROTECTING NEIGHBOURS Thr engineer’s report stated that the council had already taken power to grant permission in cases where there was no reasonable alternative. The rights of the neighbours should be considered. If side yards had been established as a general principle every owner should be able to rely upon the enforcement of the requirement on his neighbours as well as on himself. If a general relaxation was to be allowed simply to suit individual preferences, then the whole requirement should be deleted. “I would like the committee to realize that the complaints they receive as to the working of this (and other measures) are not as general as they suppose. The objectors are more insistent than numerous. In the past 12 months 118 garages were built. Of these only 10 were the subject of protest and of these five were allowed by the committee and five declined. The very great majority of people comply with the requirement without any question, and it seems unfair that a right principle should be changed to meet so small a proportion of objectors,” stated the report. The chairman of the Town Planning Committee (Cr E. J. McLauchlan) said this'was the first important amendment to the code suggested by the committee. Some of the members of the committee had felt some qualms about prohibiting ratepayers from using their side yards. There had been more objections to this provision than to any other. The code had been of tremendous benefit to the city. The recommendation of the committee was adopted. At an earlier stage of the meeting Cr A. W. Jones criticized the code. He said he believed 90 per cent, of the people of the city did not know of the scheme. Only the few who had come up against it were aware of it.