A VALUABLE HERITAGE

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 108, 31 January 1935, Page 8

A VALUABLE HERITAGE

The London County Council, it is reported to-day, lias authorised an expenditure of £2,000,000 to provide “a green belt round London. The announcement is a reminder of the debt of gratitude Wellington citizens owe to the foresight of those who planped the lay-out of this city years ago and provided for their pleasure and recreation for all time that green (or brown) strip surrounding the city and known as the Town Belt. On various occasions since then suggestions have been made for cutting up the belt for residential purposes, but always has public opinion strongly opposed them. The London County Council’s outlay of £2,000,000 represents only part of the cost. The remainder will involve the co-operation of neighbouring councils affected. The ultimate cost may therefore be expected to run into a huge figure. What it would cost this city to face a similar undertaking if there were no Town Belt may well be imagined. It would certainly be more than the city, cpuld afford. Citizens ought therefore to'be thankful that wise provision in the past has given them such a valuable heritage. The belt for many years was a prey to neglect. It became a sort of Tom Tiddler’s ground, and a dumping-ground for rubbish. A growing consciousness of the-aesthetic possibilities of the reserve has worked by degrees a veritable transformation, lhe once-famous Jam Tin Gully is now Central Park, one of the city’s favourite beauty spots. Systematic cultivation and levelling is raising annually the value of this heritage. People who are inclined to exclaim against the expenditure on reserves should remember these facts.