TOWN PLANNING.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 June 1920, Page 2

TOWN PLANNING.

DOMINION CONFERENCE. DEFINITE PROPOSALS. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June, 9. The Dominion Town Planning Conference opened this morning. The'President, the Hon. O. J. Parr, C.M.G., in welcoming the/ delegates, said that ni'uch of the spade work had been done during the past two .years, and they now had a majority of members in ‘ the House of Representatives pledged to support reasonable town planning legislation. The measure must not override administration of local bodies, but must rather seek for* their co-operation, He thought a Department of Town Planning could be established at a test of £2OOO to £3OOO a year and that this was a very small amount of pay to prevent a repetition of the mistakes of the past. He hoped to see something definite accomplished during next session.

The conference congratulated Mr Parr (Minister for Education) on his elevation to the. Ministry. The Chairman (Mr A. Leigh Huht), in his opening address, said that it was an absolute necessity to have a Town Planning Act on the Statute Book. The Town Planning Commission would act as a sort of Supreme Court for the settlement of disputes, say, between the local body, tlie public and the State Departments.. At present a Department might erect buildings anywhere without the consent of the local authority. Co-ordination between the authorities was absolutely necessary. He expressed opposition to any sterotyped system for all towns and suggested a

Town Planning Board, for each city, town or township, with power to prepare system for submission to the Town Planning Commission for approval. This would encourage local interest, without which town planning would not succeed. The proposal for a- local Town Planning Board met with general approval. The conference approved of (1) the application of the principles of town planning to New Zealand and the preparation of town planning schemes without delay; (2) necessary legislation in the form of Town Planning and Housing Act; (3) the formation of Town Planning and Housing Departments and the appointment of an expert town planner, the Department to have supervision over, all town planning schemes; (4) the appointment of a Control of Town Planning Commission to consist of the town planner and four other experts in engineering, architecture, surveying and public health ; (5) the town planner should be a competent and experienced town planner with a salary which would enable the Dominion to obtain a firstclass man with actual experience both in town planning schemes and garden cities, and who is recognised by the civic authorities as a town planner of eminence. It was decided that the Govern- | ment should come under the Act wherein local authorities should have adopted the provision of the Act and where a town planning district has been declared,