Playford Estate No Place For Industry

Chronicle (Levin), 20 October 1949, Page 4

Playford Estate No Place For Industry

In the course of selling -the surplus sections of the Playford Park esta.e, tne Levin Borough Council has encountered its first headache. mdustry seeks to rear its head in wnat the council had hoped would be a "beautiful garden suburb." At Monday night's meeting of the council the building inspector, Mr. H. T. Tiiyard, produced an app.ication for the ereccion of a builder's workshin on one of the Playford Park sections. "I don't know if we have power to stop it but many people do not like tnis sort of tning," sai'd Cr. R. S. Antcliff. "These builders' worxshops are .fitted with noisy euzzers and equipment which annoy. I am averse to interf ering with a person's living, but it is stretching the point if residences and workshops reside to- - gether in areas of this nature. We will have to introduce some type of town planning whereby we can put a stop to it." "Are you prepared to move that the permission be disallowed this applicant?" asked the DepUtyMayor, Mr. R. A. Frederikson. Cr. D. J. Sweetzer: Ls it our right to disallow it? Mr. Frederikson: I am not sure about that. "We must hurry along with this town planning scheme," said Cr. A. W. Parton.

gr. Amcj.ii: 1 move tnar we exeter a decision until we investi^ate a to,wn planning scheme. . Cr. Sweetzer : I disagree in prineiple only. We have got to decide now whether we can legally say no. To defer is to put off the svil day. I understand from earlier arguments on this subject that we simpiy cannot say no, Cr. W. Telford: I really think we 'have no authority to stop this man at the present time. Even Wellington is having worries of this type. Cr. J. Miller: To defer is a sign of weakness. We have granted permits previousiy. The sooner we get the power to stop this the better. Cr. Antcliff: I look upon Playford Park sub-division as a garden suburb. We, as vendors of the sections, have a responsibility to protect the people who have bougjht sections there. It is not a sign of weakness to defer. This is a recreational area and the machines in ihe workshop would be going on Saturdays and late at nights when people are enjoying sport. Now is the time to defer decisions on these questions until we have looked into the town planning scheme and can see where we are going. Mr. Frederikson: My view of town planning is that if we plan it'we will plan it out of existence, but I think we shoul'd defer this application in order to study the legal side. Cr. Parton: The biggest industry in Tawa Flat was prevented from expanding because it was in a residential area." I think we •should refer it to the borough solicitors to see if we can deelare the area as solely residential in advance of a general scheme. This suggestion, "when put as a motion, was carried.