The Ideal City and How to Plan It.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVI, Issue 10, 8 March 1911, Page 33

The Ideal City and How to Plan It.

WHAT TO AVOID AND WHAT TO EMULATE.

MR. A. M. MYERS POINTS THE WAY.

An epoch-making evuent was the conference held in Auckland lalst week, when, at the invitation of the Mayor of the city, delegates of all the local bodies on the isthmus met to consider the question of town planning. The feature of the gathering was a statesmanlike address by Mr. A. M. Myeiit, in explaining the provisions of “77rtr Auckland Town Planning Bill,” which he hopes to introduce next session of Parliament. We give Mr. Myer’s remarks in full and supplement them with some pictures showing what should be aimed at and what should, be avoided in this great work of building up the ideal city. The Old World has learnted wisdom by bitter and costly experience. Xow is the time for us to profit by its hard lesson.

IT was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation sent to me to attend this meeting, because, from my experience while Mayor of Auckland, and from what I have since seen and heard in the course of my travels, I am convinced that the question of town-planning is a matter of urgent public importance. The evils that arise through the growth of towns at haphazard, without any systematic plan, or any reasonable provision for the future, are too obvious for it to be necessary to enlarge on them; and experience has shown that they cannot be adequately coped with merely by the enactment of building by-laws, and other similar restrictions on the right of the city landowner to do what he will with his own. These have their use, but it is now becoming generally recognised that something more than these is needed; that the welfare and progress of a city demand that it be regarded as a whole*, and that the growth and development of all its parts bo regulated with a view to their relationship to the whole. We are apt to pride ourselves in New Zealand on being in the van of social reform and progress; but in this matter we have allowed ourselves to be left behind by the countries of the Old World. There town-planning is now recognised as an art in itself, and there is already considerable literature on the subject. T believe I am correct in saying that the Germans were the first to grapple with the problem in any systematic way, and they have done so with characteristic Thoroughness. and with very satisfactorv results. The orderly planning and designing of town development now form a part of the ordinarv routine of mnniri pal Government in Germany. Public opinion in England has also now been awakened to the urgency of the question.

and in 1909 a Town-planning Act was passed by the Imperial Parliament. A number of local bodies have already taken steps to avail themselves of the powers conferred on them by this Act, and last October a Town-Planning Conference was held in London, under the auspices of the Royal Institute of British Architects, which was presided over

by Mr. John Burns, President of the Local Government Board. Begin Right. It may be that the question is not quite so urgent here as it is in older countries; but if we are wise we shall profit by the experience of others. If we refuse to do so, if we pay as little

regard to the future as older cities have done, in the long run we must pay t lie same penalty as they ; and the fact that we an* in a position to deal with the problem in a comparatively early stage is surely all the more reason why we should make the most of (lik advantage. Prevent ion is better than cure: and very inixli cheaper. It costs little or nothing more to begin on right lines than on wrong ones; Im! the cost of rec. lifying initial mistakes increase- with every year of a city’s growth. More over. <‘\eu here cure is needed as well as prevention: one need not go outside Auckland to find proofs that a city cinnot he trusted to grow spontaneously, without due oversight and regulation. I'he existence of such a thoroughfare as 11 igh-st reet in the centre of tin* cit y is on? conspicuous example: and thong.i we may not have anything in Aucklind (omparable to the shims of the English manufacturing towns, we certainly hive some quarters that are no credit to us. It is imbu'd very much to be regretted th.it things have been allowed to go so tar. Even forty years ago there wen* a few people in Auckland who per. eive I tin* necessity for m iking some systematic provision for the future development of tin* city: but unfoi t unatel v their adv’ce was unheeded. In 1871 Mr. ( . O'Neill Member for Thames, introduced into the House of Representatives a Plans of Towns Regulation Bill, which he brought forward thereafter from year to year until it was passed in 187”). but with tin* restriction that it was only to apply to towns laid out on Crown lands. This, of course*, robbed it of much of its usefulness, and it was repealed ten years later. In any case, this Bill only pro vided for the laying out of new towns, and not for tin* expansion of those already founded: hut some of the speeches made in tin* debates on it have i bearing on this question also. Mr. Swanson, for example, told tin* House that he believed that it would cost L‘20.000 in Auckland in order to purchase up‘some of the back slums of the city, which was now only about thirty years of age. By a iittle attention to those matters in the beginning, such a waste of money might be avoided. lie also advocated provision for endowments for the sup port of the poor, the sick, and tin* distressed. and the setting aside of land for public purposes, such as sites f»r post ollives, hospitals, schools with ample playgrounds, etc., and he added th it if they legislated now in the youth of th* country, it would save untold gold and untold misery in the future. Had this wise counsel been accepted, we might have had the honour of being tin* pioneers of town planning, instead of lagging behind other countries as we now do: and Auckland would have been i very dillerent (ity from what it is. Civic Ideals. I venture to think that there is <•> need for tin* cultivation of high r ideals with regard to our cities. Aristotle de tim'd a citv as a place win-re men live a common life for a noble end: but in the conception of a city prevalent among

us 1 am afraid that the common life has little place, and the noble end still less. \Ve are too apt to think of it as a mere collection of houses, in which individuals, each en gaged solely in the pursuit of their own private ends, find the best accommodation they can. according to their means. I hit if we are adequately to discharge our responsibilities to our city, we must learn to regard it as the outcome ami the expression of our common civic life, and to seek so to develop and adorn it, so to supply it with all things necessary and all things desirable, that it shall he at once a monument and a stimulus of our civic patriotism. Ami if our ideal of a city is to be worthy of a democratic community like ours, we must aspire to so nothing more than a few line streets and public buildings, a few beautiful parks, ami a few well-laid-out residential quarters for the wealthier classes; we must look for a city in even the poorest quarters of which men and women can make their homes and bring up their children without detriment to their self-respect, their happiness, or their health of body or mind. 'Even if we look at the matter from the point of view of the narrowest practical utility, considering how large a proportion of our population live in towns, we must recognise the importance to the nation of making our towns fit to live in: ami we ought to aim, not merely at making them fit to live in. but at so counteracting the disadvantages of city life, and so utilising its advantages, that they shall Ik* tin* best places to live in. 1 would add that to make our towns

really fit to live in. ft i- not enough merely to ensure rtiat the material need- of their inhabitants shall be pro vide I for: their aesthetic craving- mu-t il-O b<* satisfied. If we are to live our common civic life to any noble ends, w<* must not condemn the mass of our people to pass their lives in surrounding* desti

tilte of beauty, in those moan street which, as Mr. John Burns said in hi address to the Town-planning Confer once, produce mean mon. Our Splendid Opportunity. We enjoy here exceptional opportuili ties of creating a city of ideal beauty

but I am afraid that the warmest admirers of Auckland must admit that we have not hitherto used those opportuni ties as we ought to have done: and I repeat that it is now recognised by all who have studied the subject that no

city, whatever its natural advantages, can continue to provide all its inhabitants with surroundings fit for civilised human beings to live in if its development is left entirely to private enterprise—that there must be intelligent and

systematic supervision over its growth ami planning for its future, taking account of tiic needs of the city as a whole. 1 am convinced that the sooner this matter is taken in hand the better, not only for Auckland but for every town throughout New Zealand, ami last session I put a question to the Premier in tin* House as to whether the Government would bring in legislation establishing a definite policy of town-planning, especially tor the larger cities throughout th<‘ Dominion, making provision tor their ultimate growth, and for such mat ters as arterial roads, open spaces, standard width of streets to meet the requirements of each locality, height oi buildings, workers’ dwellings, sites for schools, churches, etc. The reply 1 received was that this was a matter that required very careful consideration, an 1 the Premier was not prepared to move in the matter this session. While 1 quite agree with the Premier that this is a matter that requires ; a refill consideration, 1 feel that it is also one that calls for prompt action. and I have been glad to learn from recent utterances of b!i“ Hon. Mr. Eowlds that he snares this view. I hope that next session we sh ill sec* a I own Planning Bill introduced bv the Government: but I d<> not think we should sit with folded hands in the meantime. This is a question that especially concerns the local authorities; and the more interest they show in the matter the more likely the Government are to take it up and carry it through. Suggested Legislation. I had intended to invite the -co-opera-tion of the City Engineer ami the Engineer to the Harbour Board in preparing a map showing how the Greater Auckland area might be planned out so as to provide for its future needs; but on thinking it over 1 came to the conclusion that this would take too much lime, besides involving more work than I should be justified in asking these gentlemen to undertake; and after all, the preparation of such a map would really be the proper task of whatever

authority may ultimately be set up to carry out the work of town planning for Auckland. 1 have, therefore, contented myself with drawing up an Auckland Town Planning Bill, which I now submit for your consideration, and which, if it meets with your approval, I hope to introduce into Parliament next session. This, of course, will not cJash with any action the Government may decide to take in the matter. If they bring

in a Town Planning Bill applicable to the whole country, it will probably be advisable to drop this one; but even then the discussion of this Bill by the representatives of the Auckland local authorities will, no doubt, be of considerable service to the Govern* inent in framing their own measure. On the other hand, if they cannot see their way to take the question up, we ought at least to do

what we can to provide for the needs of our own district, where the rapidity with which the city is expanding in all directions makes immediate action especially imperative. It is hardly necessary for me to say that 1 put thiis bill before you as a draft, to serve as a basis for discussion — it is raw material, not the finished product. I have devoted a good deal of time and thought to it, and I believe that its provisions are, in the main, such as to serve the purpose; but 1 have no doubt that it will be modified in some particulars as the results of our deliberations. 1 trust, therefore, that any who may object to some details of the bill will not consider this as a reason for opposing it as a whole. 1 have adopted as much of the English act as seemed to me applicable, but I have modified and added to it considerably to meet our own ciircumstances. 1 may add that in some of the clauses 1 have contented myself with expressing my meaning as plainly as I could in ordinary language, leaving it to the law draughtsman to transpose it into precise legal phraseology later on. Judging by the correspondence on the subject that has already appeared in the papers, I do not think that any town-planning authority that may be set up will suffer from any lack of suggestions as to what they should do- No one who devotes any attention to this question can fail to think of numerous ways in' which our city might be improved and beautified, and provisions made for its future needs. Our roads, at all events our main arterial roads, ought to be taken in hand and laid out on some comprehensive plan. Then there are our parks and open spaces. Certainly we might be much worse off than we are in this respect, but still we need more, or shall need them in a few years’ time. What Might Be Done. I notice that it has been suggested that Campbell’s Point at Ponsonby should be acquired for this purpose, and on the face of lit this seems a good suggestion, though I cannot say that I have investigated lit at all closely. In this connection I may also mention the question of school playgrounds, to which Mr Parr, the chairman of the Education Board, has lately been calling public attention—a matter of vital importance to the health and happiness of our rising generation. Again, I believe that one feature of town-planning in other countries has been the allocation of suitable areas for factories, with sufficient space for the -building of artisan’s dwellings, and for reserves; and it would be well for us to attend to thiis while our manufactures are still comparatively speaking, in their infancy. You will see that T have included in the bill a clause giving local authorities power to acquire land for the purpose of carrying out town-

planning schemes; and as one example of what might be done in this way, 1 would suggest that the Auckland City C'ouncil°should acquire the Orakei peninsula, and lay it out as a model garden suburb, in which provision should be made, as has been done in the garden suburbs that have been established in England, for the erection of houses suited to the requirements of all classes. 1 do not think that there would be any insuperable obstacle in the way of coming to an arrangement with the native owners; and later on, when Hobson's Bay is reclaimed, as it almost certainly will be, this piece of land will be brought within easy reach of the city, and will be exceedingly valuable. Lastly, to mention just one matter connected more immediately with the beautification of the city, I hope that the citizens of Auckland will not be content for long to allow the surroundings of their Town Hall to remain so unworthy of it. I believe that it would be quite practicable to lay out a fine square at the junction of Queen and Grey-streets, which would place the Town Hall in a proper setting; and I have had a plan prepared by Mr Chilwell, the architect, showing how this might be done. I merely throw out these suggestions as a few illustrations of the work awaiting the Town-Planning Board —they do not by any means exhaust the list. 1 do not think, however, that there is any need for me to emphasise the need for town-planning —that is a point on which there seems to be very little difference of opinion. The question we have to consider, therefore, is as to the best means of bringing town-planning into practical operation in Auckland, if not throughout New Zealand, and the bill I haye submitted to you is an attempt in that direction, and with your permission I will conclude by going through it and explaining its main points. The Bill. The first sixteen sections deal with the necessary machinery for preparing and carrying out a town-planning scheme for the City of Auckland. Section 2 defines the Town Planning District, and you will see that I have included in it all those districts that make up the County of Eden. This is in fact the Isthmus of Auckland, and being by nature a self-contained area seems on tlie face of it suitable; but it may be found advisable to include Otaliuhu and Mangere; while the development of the Avondale district may also make some extension of the western boundary advisable. On the other hand some may hold that this district is too large, and that we should be content to begin on a less ambitious scale. In view of the harm that has already been done through the failure of our predecessors to take large views as to the future expansion of our city, I think that we should be very careful not to run any risk of falling into the same error ourselves. Auckland has not finished growing yet. and personally, I do not think that it is any too soon to make a town plan for the whole of the County of Eden; but at the same time I admit that the question of boundaries is open to argument. Section 4 sets up a Town Planning Board of seven members, to be elected by the members of the local bodies in a similar manner to that in which the members of the Education Board are elected by the members of the School Committee. It may perhaps be said that we have too many local bodies already, and that it would be a mistake to bring another one into existence; 'but the very fact of our having too many local bodies sometimes makes it necessary to create new ones —which indeed is one drawback of having so many. If we hail one Council for Greater Auckland we could entrust to it the carrying out of any work that affected the interests of either the whole or any part of the district; but now that the control of the city and suburbs is distributed among such a number of independent authorities, there is no one of them which the others are prepared to empower to act for them all. and therefore, in eases in which combined action is called for. there is nothing for it but to set up some sort of a joint board. We had one example of this in connection with the drainage question, and I am afraid we must also make up our minds to it in connection with town planning. If the other local bodies are prepared to entrust the Auckland City Council, o r the Drainage Board, with authority to act in the matter, well and good; but I do not think there is much chance of that. Moreover, as regards this particular question of town

planning, there might be something to be said for placing it in the hands of a separate body, even ; f it were not a matter of necessity. The work will not be finished in a day; and it will be to a large extent a matter for experts. Whatever body has charge of it, they will no doubt have to call in expert assistance; but if it is entrusted to a Board consisting of only a few men, it may reasonably be expected that each individual member will take an active interest in it, and they will all become more or less experts before they have done. A board, besides, that has only this one function to discharge wdl be in less danger than one that has a wider range of activity of being hampered or diverted in its action by considerations and influences that have no legitimate connection with the matter in hand. 1 may add that the board that I propose to set up will not be a body of quite the same kind as those already in existance. It will be merely a supervising body; its function will not be to carry out the work of town development, but to lay down the lines along which that work is to be carried on by others. Leaving the machinery, and coming to the work to be done by it, Section 17 provides that the Board shall prepare a Town Planning Scheme for the district previously defined. The principal matters to be dealt with in the scheme are set out in the first schedule, comprising streets, tramways, buildings, open spaces, schools and playgrounds, public buildings, baths, reclamations, etc. While

the board, in making this plan, are to have regard to the development of the city as a whole, it would obviously be inadvisable to tie them down strictly to any one method of procedure; it will be for themselves to discover whether it would be more convenient to make one comprehensive plan, embracing all details, for the whole district, or to tike different areas piecemeal; and subscc tion (b) of this section gives them every latitude in this respect. Section 18 provides that before a scheme prepared by the Board comes into force it must be submitted to the and approved by him, full opportunity being first given to any person or authority interested to urge their objections. There must be some authority to adjudicate between the Board and those who may object to its proposals; and as we have not here, as they have in England, a Local Government Board to decide such matters, it seems to me that the Governor-in ■Council would be the best substitute. Section 22 defines the effects of the approval of the Governor-in-Council which gives the town planning scheme the force of law. Perhaps it may be advisable to repeat here that this does not mean that the Board is to take in hand the various works provided for in the scheme, nor for that matter that anybody else is to be bound to do so; all it means is that whatever is done in that direction in the future must

be done in accordance with the scheme, and not otherwise. If, for example, the scheme sets aside certain areas for factories, then factories must not lie built butside those areas; if it provides for buildings of certain class in particular areas, then no buildings of any other class must be erected in those areas; and so on. The question naturally arises, what is to happen in the case of land now in private hands set aside by a town-plan-ning scheme for public purposes? For instance, the Board will no doubt set aside sites for schools and playgrounds, some of which will probably not be actually needed for a considerable time to come; is the Education Board to acquire all of these at once, or are the owners to be expected to wait the Education Board’s convenience, while being prohibited from building on the lanld in the meanwhile? The first alternative might impose rather a severe strain on the Education Board’s finances, but the second would be manifestly unfair to the owners, and it must be confessed that it is not easy to find a solution that shall satisfactorily reconcile the interests of the community with the rights of the individual; but I have done the best I could in section 23. This provides that ■when land is set aside for public purposes the Town-Planning Board is to give notice to the owner, and to the person or corporation in whom the land iwill be vested when applied to such purposes, and to fix a time within which the land may be acquired for such purposes; and if it is not so acquired within that time, the owner is no longer to be bound by the restriction imposed by its

being thus set aside. I think that the Board should have some discretion as to the time to be fixed, as a longer time might fairly be allowed in the case of agricultural land on the outskirts of the district than in the case of building land nearer the centre. It might be well also to add a proviso that before building on the land, or selling it, after the expiration of the time fixed, the owner shall give the authority concerned the option of acquiring it. We must remember that in this matter we are starting handicapped by the neglect of our predecessors, and therefore cannot expect to escape incurring some expense which would have been unnecessary if action had been taken earlier; but the sooner we take it in hand the less the expense will be in the long run. Town-Planning, to be complete, must involve not only making provision for the future, but also rectifying, as far as practicable, the mistakes of the past; and I have endeavoured to make provision for this in section 24. How far it is possible to alter existing conditions so as to make them fit in with the provisions of a town-planning scheme must depend very much on circumstances. In some cases it might be possible to do this completely; in others something might be done, but not everything; while in others the cost of doing anything at all might be prohibitive. Section 24 therefore practically leaves it to the local authorities to do the best they can according to the circumstances of each individual case. Section 26 gives local authorities power to acquire land for the purpose of carrying out town-planning schemes, and to raise money on the security of the land to pay for its purchase, or for the expenses of laying it out and developing it; such land to be held as an endowment. I must own that I should have liked to

center this power on the Town-Planning Board itself; but as it will have no capital to start with, this seemed impracticable. I believe that in connection with town-planning in Germany some towns have become landowners on each an extensive scale that they have been able to dispense with rates, the rents of their lands giving them a sufficient revenue. Sections 28 and 29 deal with the powers of the Board to enforce compliance with the provisions of town-plan-ning schemes. In section 28 I have not specified these powers in detail, as that is a matter for legal experts. Section 29 is adapted from the English Act. Section 30 provides for the payment of compensation to persons who may Buffer loss through the making or carrying out of town-planning schemes, safeguarded by a number of provisions, which are also for the most part taken from the English Act. Section 31 is a “betterment” clause, providing for the recovery of compensation by local authorities from landowners whose property has been increased in Value by a town-planning scheme. It is on the same lines as the betterment clause contained in the Municipality Corporations Amendment Act passed last session in respect of lands increased in Value by the widening of streets. ; Unfortunately the Town-Planning Board will not be able to do its work without spending a certain amount of’money, and section 33 provides that its revenue shall be contributed by the local foodies, in the same manner as that of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. The Board must have a revenue, and I do not see any other practicable way of securing it. Section 34 gives the Board power to make town-planning schemes for districts outside the Auckland Town-Planning districts, if requested to by the local authorities to do so. It is possible, for example, that the boroughs on the north side of the harbour might wish to avail themselves of the Board’s services. If our fellow-citizens over the (Water desire it, I should have no objection whatever to the insertion of a section constituting a separate Town-Planning Board for them; but I thought it best, for a beginning, to confine myself to drawing up° a bill applying only to Auckland and the surrounding districts on this side of the harbour, with the special conditions of which I can naturally claim a somewhat closer acquaintance than with those of any other area. In the event of the local authority of any area adjoining the Auckland lownPlanning District desiring to bring that area under the jurisdiction of the Board, section 35 gives them power to do so. CONFERENCE APPROVES THE SCHEME The conference unanimously affirmed the principle of a town-planning and dity extension scheme, and a committee representative of the City Council and local bodies in the county of Eden was set tup to consider the best means of carrying out the scheme and to report to the conference later.

A study in municipal achievement and the realisation of civic ideals enhancing the value of a city as a producer of health, inspiration, and municipal consciousness—an example that might well be borne in mind by every (’ity Council in New Zea land to-day.

“The Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust” was formed in 1905, when it purchased 243 acres adjoining Hampstead Heath ami its extension, from Eton College Trustees, to form a model community on town planning lines. The land was planned out as shown above. On the left hand side will be seen the cottages for which a tenant pays from 3 3 per week. Each tenant becomes a member of the Trust, ami his weekly payments ultimately make him owner of his dwelling and ground. Tin* Trust provides the plans and advances the money to build the cottage as required. In the centre facing the eml of the Heath Extension are the villas, and facing the Extension Just above the Golders Green Tube station are the larger Imuses, whirl' are sold to tenants on co-partnership lines at annual payments up to £9O a year.

!> knows until he has visited ami investigated the conditions of slum lif< what ar- th- penalties heaped upon tin* unfortunate and innorent children who an born therein. Here are a boy and girl photographed in the residential quarter ol working men am! women in a manufacturing town in Yorkshire, England. Tin mother worked in a factory all day, so that the children had to shift for them s»*lve< (luring the day. Their playground was the gutter. Their only cloth<*s won tho<.- shown in the photo. They frequently got only one meal a day. Both wen undeveloped ,i~ the re'mlt of constant m. derfecd Ing. Because of their lack of op nortunitie*. <>f healthy food, exorcise, clean air ami sunlight, they were like man,\ more condemned to the life ami the horrors of the slum. Nowadays Town Plan ning. which amongst other things provides cheap homes for artizans. obviates many of the terrible realities, ami when applied in young countries would do much 1make such social mistakes impossible.

£,A typical example of the effects of commercial landlordism in England, allowed to run without restraint or guidance by the municipal authorities. Under Town Planning such a state of things would be made impossible.

The photo, shows one of many slum courts formed by “back-to-back” Imuses (i.e.. only one entrance and no backyard). As many as .300 people were crowded on to <*a« h acre of ground in this area Their poverty could only be described as “absolute pauperism.” More than half the children in the area died before reachhir the age of twelve months, whilst the frequency of infectious diseases added to the misery of its people. It is conditions like this that resulted from allowin’-- private individuals to ent up and build on their lands as they pleased, and made Mr Tohii Burns’ “Housing ami Town Planning Act. 1010.” imperative Io prevent their re eurrene.. in new arras nt present under development. Tim example oiisrht to be n powerful lesson to New Zealand cities where slam conditions are already I>o-in " 111 "I’'"' the viailnnee of our ITenlth Officers Tills e-Ag-?’"’’. •‘•P'-s-nfs part Of an area of 5 2-3rd acres of slum Imuses which cost L.SS.OUO Ol Ilm ratepayers money to remove. This was one of several areas that collectively cost the ratepayers £500,000 before they wore made humanly habitable.

• < lianliir” i i will <h» well to make a close study of the above plan, which represents a suburban extension of a city. H might well have applied a few y» , ai< ago to Grey Lynn before it was developed. The industrial districts, it will be seen, are pboed in conjunction with tin* workmen's homes in such a way that smoke will be carried away from the Borough by the I H vailing wind. Eveiy street is pla’ced to secure its proper proportion of sunlight, and provide convenient and short routes f‘»r tiatlir. and also tree ornamentation. All residential areas, it will be noticed, back on to green plots or parks. None <»f the lai tei are allowed to occupy valuable frontages. The view along each main thorough fare is tilled in by a public building pre -omaldy of architectural pretensions sut!i< ient to add dignity and beauty to the borough. These public buildings an* all plat ed elose to one another, so as to facilitate business. It would be on tin* lines of such a plan that a town planning expert would work in preparing a scheme for laying out the suburban areas adjoining Auckland city, which would be brought undet the operation of the Town Planning Board pioposed by Mr. Arthur Myers.

A group of villas in the garden suburb at Hampstead (North London), lived in by their owners and built round a common garden. Each house is placed so as to enjoy an uninterrupted view of Hampstead Heath. They are close to open spaces and garden plots. There is no smoke or crowded backyards to produce unhealthy conditions. Trees and gardens abound to break any of the monotony that is usually associated with suburban life. The whole village is within half an hour of the heart ol London.