AERIAL SURVEY MAY BE MADE OF CHRISTCHURCH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18466, 18 May 1928, Page 5

AERIAL SURVEY MAY BE MADE OF CHRISTCHURCH.

ENGINEER ESTIMATES FULL COST AT £3420. A definite proposal that various local bodies should be asked to cooperate in securing an aerial survey of the whole area concerned in the City’s scheme, and that afi answer be given by the Councils concerned within the month, was the outcome of the meeting of the Regional Town Planning Committee last evening. The Mayor (Rev J. K. Archer) presided, and the others present were:— Messrs G. Maginness (Paparua County Council), R. Hepburn (Riccarton Borough Council), C. Flavell and B. Riley (Heathcote County Council). H. Kitson (Waimairi County Council), and the City Engineer, Mr A. R. Galbraith. Mr A. R. Galbraith presented a report on the estimates for the scheme, the total cost of which, to local bodies, will be £3420. Mr Galbraith, supplementing the report, said that they had to look to the future. The scheme should include all settled districts contiguous to the city. At a later date, Kaiapoi might be asked to come in. The cost to the city was £l7l 13s lid and that covered the Estuary, which the City proposed to take up, and the rest of the amount was to be made up of a re-survey of the city area. The four boroughs were compelled under the Act to prepare a scheme, but the four counties were not so compelled. Sooner or later, the rural districts would be compelled to join up. With regard to the aerial survey, in America the cost was £l9 per square mile, but Captain Findlay was prepared to do it for £6 per mile. "We are in an unfortunate position/’ said Mr Flavell, referring to Heathcote. "We are down for £ll6B, as against £764 for Waimairi. We are bringing in a lot of land that should not be brought in." “I disagree very emphatically with the remarks of Mr Flavell. which are totally at variance with facts," said Mr Galbraith. "There are small settlements. the brickworks, quarries, etc., and Cashmere Hills. You must look at least twenty years ahead if you cannot see fifty." Asked whether the Director of Town Planning approved of aerial maps, Mr Galbraith said that the Director had approved of aerial survey of civic maps, but was not likely to approve of aerial survey of lay-out maps. He suggested that Government maps be used as far as possible. Several members spoke approvingly of the scheme and it was decided that local bodies represented on the committee be asked to co-operate in the scheme. Assuming that the preparations of the plans would take two years, the cost to each local body, the engineer’s report estimated, would, on an acreage basis, be approximately as follows:

£ s. d. Lyttelton Borough .... 150 18 0 New Brighton Borough 89 10 0 Riccarton Borough .... 43 4 0 Sumner Borough 225 4 0 Heathcote County .... 681 12 0 Halswell County 228 30 0 Paparua County .... 2S 2 0 Waimairi Countv 445 0 0 Total .. £1890 0 0 The total cost to the local bodies is as follows:— £ s. d. Lyttelton Borough .... .. . 258 3 3 New Brighton Borough .. 158 1 3 Riccartop Borough 75 12 0 Sumner Borough ... 387 0 6 Heathcote County ... lias 5 0 Halswell County .... 389 8 2 Paparua County 47 7 8 Waimairi Countv 764 8 3 Christchurch .... 171 13 11 Total ... £3420 0 0