SHOPS AND RESIDENCES

Evening Star, Issue 19662, 15 September 1927, Page 2

SHOPS AND RESIDENCES

h ZONING SYSTEM CHRISTCHURCH COUNCIL MOVES ißprciai, to THE ‘ Sl'A It. '3 CHRISTCHURCH, September 14. On the whole laud agents and others interested in the erection of properties in Christchurch approve of the decision of the City Council to bring into force a zoning system in connection with the building of shops. They realise that shops and residences do not mix well together, and there is no improvement in value to either. A well-known land agent in Christchurch said there was a good deal to be said on both sides of the proposal, and the wholp thing needed very careful consideration before zones were created. It was not a question to be decided in a moment. The decision would have the effect of causing speculative landholders to defer their actions in selling or buying until they knew whore the zones were to be. Values in some neighborhoods would go up as the result of shops being creeled, but iu others the values of residential properties would be lowered. The idea was a good one, but all parties concerned would have to bo consulted before any action would be decided upon. The president of the Canterbury Land and Estate Agents’ Association (Mr H. W. Heslop) said he approved of the scheme, provided it were properly carried out. Shops in various residential areas had not enhanced the value of the houses there. New parts of the city just opened up woiild suffer from'not "having shops near them, for they would bo declared residential areas for some time. In considering whether an area should be made a shopping zone or not the questions of the values of tho properties near by and the needs of the locality would have to be taken careful note of. “Personally,” said Mr Heslop, ‘ 1 wouldn’t like to he the adjudicators on the question.” The whole idea was in accordance with the spirit of the 'town Planning Act, and was to be commended, hut careful administration was necessary. Zoning would help to do away with a lot of tho shops in tho suburbs, whore ho thought shops were overdone. Dr Charles Chilton, who has taken a. creat deal of interest in town planning and the general beautification of tho city, was not prepared to make a statement on tho question. All he said was that the scheme was in accordance with tho provisions of the Town Planning Act.