HATAITAI ENCROACHMENTS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 20, 18 October 1919, Page 3

HATAITAI ENCROACHMENTS

liBPOET TO THE CITY COUNCIL.

The. Assistant-Engineer (Mr. A. Paterson) rcporteu to tie City Council on Thursday on the subject of encroachments 011 public roads at Hntaitai as follows: — "Following- 011 : M'r. Morton's report of September, 191G, it will be seen that tho council, iu adopting that report, has laid down a policy that no encroachments shall be allowed unless some public benefit sMi accrue, or that the general pu'blie .shall bo safeguarded.. This. policy 'cuts outtho granting-of reservations 011 streets in flat country. The sido streets uro built narroivor, and. permission of encroachment generally relieves the corporation of the maintenance of slopes which would otherwise become covered with gorse, The benefit to t.lie private owner, however, by tho increase of area and" the privacy which' is obtained is verv'great in some cases, while there are individual cases about the city where, if the improvement caused by,the'encroachment were to be taken'away, the properties would be unsaleable.' The present system, however, of allowing tho subdivisiunal fences to cross this narrow strip of land is productive of confusion on the minds of intending purchasers, more especially where speculative builders and architects have been allowed to erect front fences which are not of the 6fciwl(ml type. It will be noticed that this style of fence is particularly objected to by the petitioners. There is no way, however, 'of protecting these i,u{niir intendrjig purchasers who do not we tyie necessity in a city like this to taVe legal and surveying advice before purchasing land, and thus protecting themselves, from unscruuulous vi idors.

"When the practice of allowing encroachments 'begun, it wns not foreseen that such a large number of appl rations wou.id come, in anil peppercorn rentals were charged. Other people encroached without pcirin.ission. Later it was found that the expense to His department practically meant hn officer- detailed to this work only. "The benefits derived.by theaddition to the appearance of the properties are not in every wise equal, nor is tlio value of tli" land in every ftreet equal. "Mr. Ames has taken' into consideration these facts when making these valuations. Those encroachments which are not ljcing paid for Sv'll gradually he located, Awl slvtufd he 'revalued under the existing method. The praet'ee of allowing <>no encroachment in a street and adjoining properties not encroaching makes for irregular boundaries and corners where rubb'sli collects. Uniformity in the strict line should bo the first object. In my opinion, therefore, the nresenl-system is quite satisfactory, and should be'adhered to, these rarl.v encroachment.-? being brought into line as soon os pnsf-ible, as .far as valuations. are concerned.' "A far moretnlisfaetory method would lis for I'lin owners 'o corstiwt I'sht oroant'idal fences on Ihe'r eorreet bound-irie-s, !.li:' corporation to erect Hie fente dtTjoinintr tlio footrath, various owners fr-ko care of the portion of the enclosed strip immediately In front of their .sect'oJia and omit the cross fences. This can onlv ho done, of couTse, when the street is fully built up and the various residents have sufficient civic, -pride and cooperation to maintain the enclosure properly."