WIDENING MANGOREI ROAD

Taranaki Daily News, 5 August 1930, Page 14

WIDENING MANGOREI ROAD

TARANAKI COUNTY WITHDRAWS. TVVO-TO-THKEE SUBSIDY REFUSED. As a result of correspondence received the Taranaki County Council yesterday decided to withdraw its offer to provide portion of compensation for. the widening of Mangorei Road alongside Air. S. J. Smith’s property. The council had desired that it should be exempted from widening the road, which is a secondary highway, unless the cost of widening was subsidised on a £2 for £1 basis by the Alain Highways Board. The withdrawal of his oiler to dedicate 13 feet of frontage on the Mangorei Road was notified by Air. Stanley J. Smith. The attention of the council to the possibilities of Alangorei Road as a natural outlet was drawn by the assist-ant-under-secrctary of the Public Works Department. The road had not been brought to the highest standard of construction, but it had possibilities of better grades and shorter distance from the eastern part of New Plymouth, and through better general alignment little if any greater distance from the centre of the town. The New Plymouth Borough Council had recognised the road as one of the main natural outlets and had been pursuing for some time a policy of widening the length in its area. As a natural corollary it followed that the Taranaki county should pursue the same policy. The district engineer had stated that Alangorei Road beyond the borough was hardly wide enough for present requirements and he was strongly of opinion that it was not wide enough for future developments and that a width of at least 66 feet would be required at no verv distant date.

■ After considering all the circumstances he not prepared to recommend . exemption of the road on which Mr. Smith’s property abutted. The decision would have been arrived at irrespective of the representations made by the New Plymouth Borough Council. Should exemption be granted and the land cut up for residential purposes the cost of widening would increase very greatly. The writer suggested that the county council should confer with the New Plymouth* Borough Council in an endeavour to make some amicable arrangement. It was most desirable that the two local, bodies should co-operate. He was sorry the matter had arrived at such a state of affairs, said the chairman (Air. J. S. Connett). This had come just as it was thought they had arrived at an amicable settlement. Now Air. Smith had seen fit to withdraw his offer the council also would withdraw. He appreciated the fact that it was desirable to have the road widened. The council, however, had acted with considerable generosity •in offering to pay one-third the cost, desiring a H for £1 subsidy by the Government. For present purposes the 40ft. width of road was sufficient. In the first place the county had done its best towards the road in advocating that it be declared a secondary highway; secondly, it had made a fair offer for the land. It was necessary to take into consideration tb.e fact that a high price might create an undesirable precedent. Also he could not see why the county should pay for what would eventually benefit the borough, when .it took over the area, which was inevitable. If the Highways Board had considered the work of sufficient importance the two-to-three subsidy would have been forthcoming, It had offered only £1 for £l. He did not see ' what justification the county had for the purchase. The actual highday required was only ’24 feet wide, including formation, and he could not see any need for a 60-foot road. The council had acted in a spirit of generosity towards the borough in requiring the building line to be set back.

Other councillors voiced the opinion that they were not prepared to go further into the nuttter of buying the land. ‘ The council unanimously carried a motion to withdraw the offer to provide portion of the compensation for the widening of the road.