TOWN PLANNING

Evening Star, Issue 22142, 24 September 1935, Page 2

TOWN PLANNING

DEVELOPMENTS AT INTERNA- * Ji&NAL CONGRESS DIFFICULTIES to be overcome “ In view of the many difficulties that we, in New Zealand, have had with our Town-planning Acts; it is interesting to read what has been going on at the International Congress for housing and town planning held in London last July,” said Mr White, in an address last week. They had come to believe that England 'had practically solved many ot the outstanding problems m relation to town planning, but he found that oven yet there were serious difficulties to be overcome. England, of course had proceeded far further in the way of modern town planning than New Zealand had. The public had been educated, to a great extent, to the necessity for a far seeing policy to be thought out and proceeded with to overcome the grave dangers and problems which arose through indiscriminate development. Some of their problems were peculiarly restricted to England and would probably never apply here, but it was worth while to quickly examine the results as brought out at the congress. It was felt, that after 2o yeais of trial and growth, town planning had secured a position of major impprtance in the English life, but with increasing parliamentary sanction ana administrative scope it had assumed more and more a restrictive and negative function.

In its general lack of positive purpose the system suffered from the xolfowing limitations and defects. (1) Its frequent operation by individual local authorities over inconveniently small areas regardless of wider regional and national planning. (2) Its lack of co-ordination with agencies directing public and private developments in housing, industry, commerce, transport, public utility services, agriculture, afforestation, recreational facilities, etc. (3) its financial weakness, especially in that compensation for reduction _ in property values through planning shall be paid by the authority at once, while betterment for increase in property values shall be paid to the authority only as to 75 per cent, and ou realisations through change of ownership. (4) Misconception of the purpose and technique of planning by many of those charged with its operation. It was felt that the proper method to combat the faults of the present system was by introducing what was called positive planning. The object of that was to provide a physical setting of towns, villages, and open counti’y adequate for the present and foreseeable needs of the community.

It was clear that new towns could not he healthy and efficient organisms unless their sites were well chosen for industrial development and their industries and populations grew in pace with each other. Equally, old towns could not be made healthy and efficient unless steps were taken to prevent an excess or deficiency of industry, and in many cases, unless slum clearance was applied not only to worn-out dwellings but also to worn-out workshops and factories. To achieve those purposes some degree ■of control oyer the location and density, of industries was obviously eseential, while a wider control over the national distribution of industries would be required, if the “depressed areas ” problem was to bo adequately tackled. Control of industrial location was a relatively new idea, and it was obviously capable of very illeffects if unwisely or excessively applied. It, should be planned and operated on a national basis, since individual towns and regions were too self-interested to apply it soundly in the national interest without central control. The emphasis should be on the active encouragement of industries to establish themselves in suitable locations by such means as (a) the reservation of ample and convenient industrial sites, at low purchase or leasehold costs and so laid out and subdivided as to give room for easy expansion; (b) the provision of ample and convenient transport and public utility services,, and in some cases_ of unit-typo factory buildings for renting by smaller enterprises; (c) the promise by public authorities of ample and convenient housing, shopping, recreational, etc., facilities and - general residential amenities for workers and their families, related in place and time to industrial development; and (d) the offer of low charges for power, light, water, etc., services from the start (in anticipation of future bulk demands), of loans at low interest rates to meet expenditure on buildings and fixed plant, and, in some cases, of subsidies to meet removal and other initial costs. Industrial development in unsuitable locations should be discouraged by _ the withholding of such facilities, reinforced as necessary by the prohibition, save in special circumstances, of new industrial enterprises or of major extension of existing enterprises in congested areas and in districts of special landscape or agricultural value.