TOWN PLANNING

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 78, Issue 7018, 11 February 1949, Page 4

TOWN PLANNING

SOME ASPECTS COVERED LOCAL BODIES DISCUSS QUESTION At Tuesday night’s meeting of the South Auckland Urban Local Bodies Association, the Putaruru ’delegates Mr H. L. Martin (mayor) and Mr V. L. Drummond (town clerk) sought information and the experiences of other delegates relative to town planning.

Mr Martin said that Putaruru was considering town planning and they would appreciate any information so as to avoid pitfalls. Mr Stanley said that Matamata had taken up town planning in 1939 and their plans came into operation in 1941. Some people condemned the scheme holus bolus, but Matamata had found it helpful, especially in regards roading of sub-divisions and the planning of night and day industrial areas. A local body could in the initial involve itself in a considerable amount of compensation. Mr Hay, in outlining the scheme that was in operation in Matamata referred to the difficulty of securing an area for industrial purposes near the railway line, as the land was taken up with private dwellings. To a questioner, Mr Hay said that betterment entered into the scheme. Mr Worley had been employed by Matamata to prepare the plans. Continuing, Mr Hay said that a big advantage was in regards sub-divisions —they had power to vary roads. One delegate considered town planning most suitable in towns that were largely industrial. He instanced Lower Hutt as an example. Mr Hay said it had one feature in that it stopped people from building on land required for roads. Mr Trapski (Otorohanga) said that in his town they had experienced difficulty in finding access to the rear of shops situated in the main street. They had sections butting on to each other.

Mr Hay said that Matamata had experienced the same trouble and it had been overcome by making it a drainage reserve. An informal discussion followed, the Te Awamutu plan being used as an illustration.

To a question, Mr Hay said people could be prevented from building in a heavy industrial area, the exception being the erection of a caretaker’s residence.

Mr Spinley said that the Te Awamutu plan was yet in its provisional stage. Te Awamutu had been badly surveyed in its early stages. Mr Millar said that the cost of the plans and publicity would be between £lBO and £2OO and all agreed that that was reasonable.

Mr Spinley said that Te Awamutu’s plans had not yet been finally approved and already they were finding out that the school authorities were wanting to increase their areas. After Mr Martin had thanked the delegates for the helpful advice given Mr Spinley gave a final word of advice—;“Do not hurry too fast.” Roading and Services

Mr Trapski regretted he had been unable to attend the previous meeting, but a particular case had been experienced by Otorohanga when a property owner came to sub-divide his back land. He sought information and experience of others relative to the requirement to have the subdivider provide sewer and water on the new road. Delegates advised that the State usually put these services in and in other cases negotiations with the sub-dividers usually resulted in the requisite provision being made. Mr Trapski asked if delegates had experience of requiring sealing for proposed roads which joined previously dedicated road which had not been required to be sealed. No actual cases were encountered by other delegates but it appeared a reasonable requirement if the general streets loading standard of sealing was being complied with.