TOWN PLANNING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26638, 8 December 1947, Page 6

TOWN PLANNING

REPLACEMENT OF “SPRAWLING CHAOS” ' ENGLISH ARCHITECT’S OPINIONS “Planning has been defined as the best use of the land; not, of course, for the land’s sake, but for ours, who live on it and by it,” said Mr C. Wil-liams-Ellis last night in a broadcast talk entitled “ Replanning and Rebuilding Britain.” ’ The theme of the talk, with variations, was the replacement of sprawling chaos with order—“a farsighted design in the, physical design of our lives instead of a wasteful, unmannerly scramble.” The only justification for planning was “that towri and country would each be better fitted for healthier, happier and more prosperous living.” “We do not like regulations,” the speaker continued, “any more than you do, but we have painfully discovered at last that to go-as-you-please is not to arrive at what is pleasant. “ Our mistakes, so obviously disastrous as we now see, have been even more harmful than any- of us had guessed, for so many of them have been so faithfully copied in so many other countries —our congested trafficjammed city centres, our too violent reaction to that in our sprawl of suburbs, our peppering of our wonderful countryside with slatternly little shacks arid commercial advertising. We have certainly set you a shocking example in the past, and your failures are undoubtedly very largely our fault.” v A step towards order was taken in Britain this year when a real charter that made planning control morq than the pious farce it had been was' obtained, and prompted by popular democratic demand, the Government was buying out all development rights throughout the country. Now building had not only to 1 be placed wisely in accordance with an agreed plan, but had to be well designed for their particular purpose and position.