TOWN PLANNING.

Shannon News, 24 June 1927, Page 3

TOWN PLANNING.

ADDRESS BY THE DIRECTOR. mTT'r. B. Hammond, director of town planning paid an official visit to ' Shannon on Wednesday afternoon, to explain to the Borough Council the provisions of the Town Planning Act. The Mayor (Mr. E. Butt) presided. In explaining the purpose of his visit Mr. Hammond said he wished to throw a little more light on the town planning legislation which came into force in January last. He had not yet been able to give Councillors any attention in regard to their local problems; but when they got to work or a town-plan-ning scheme, he would be only too pleased to do what .he could in that direction. The Act applied to towns with over 1000 population, and they

were allowed until 1930 to prepare a scheme. Regulations had been issued setting out the procedure to be adopted in preparing schemes and submitting them and on approval. With regard

to this the first step was to prepare a civic survey map, which was a map of the borough, commonly, known as the town map, to show the existing conditions. - The regulations in clause 3 set out the particulars to be rfhown in this map, but if the maps was already Up-to-date all that they would have to concern themselves with was showing

the purpose for which the different areas were used, such as business, factory and residential. Next the Council would prepare map No. 2, showing the provisional town planning scheme. The particulars required were: (1) tht traffic streets, (2) building lines (3) zone proposals/and (4) open spaces. , The Board would only require a local I body to deal with the main essentials, which were those that he had just mentioned. The streets to be shown were those required in the general interests of the public—future traffic streets and the widening of existing streets. It was not required that all the vacant land should be divided on the map to show future streets. Building lines would be used largely for setting residential buildings back from the street boundary. The object of this was to ensure proper amenities, such as front gardens, to all the houses, and prevent a man from building so as to block the view of a neighbour. Private garages generally would not be allowed in front of the residential building line. If it was proposed to widen a street, i a building line would be fixed and the

houses would have to be re-erected to conform to it. - . THE ZONE SYSTEM.

With regard to zone proposals, MiHammond said that these were new to

this country. The idea was to allocate areas to different purposes—such as business, factory and residential —with ether areas if necessary. He noted that Shannon had a fairly large area ■;f undeveloped land, and he took it that this .would be zoned as agricultural land until it was required for other purposes. In many hundreds of towns in England there were schemes drawn up showing zoning proposals. In New York the system had been under consideration for seme years. The lesson to be learned from America was that there was no compulsion there upon the towns, but all this work had been the result of business men getting together and forming town-planning commissions. Another branch of zoning included density provisions—the size of allotments on which buildings may be erected. With reference to open spaces it would be necessary to show the requisite area in a town-planning scheme. . ,

FINALISING OPERATIONS

When the scheme had been before th.; Board and provisionally approved, it "would be publicly notified and every property owner would have the right of objection. After these had been disposed of another map, No. 3, would have to be prepared, showing the approved and fir.al -scheme. This map would guide the development of the town in the future. When this scheme had been approved, it would be the duty of the Councii to enforce observance of its requirements. This was not to say that the Council could never alter its scheme. There might be cases in which expansion in the business area would bring about the need for amendment. Questions of finance, also, might modify the scheme. Full powers were given under the Act for modification at any time. As to regional planning the principle was that where development was taking plaee in the country with relation to the borough, then the County Council could be called upon to prepare a regional planning scheme in conjunction with the borough.

COMPENSATION AND BETTERMENT-

Speaking on compensation and betterment Mr. Hammond said these were matters which would affect the borough when it began to carry ; out the scheme. There would always be the opportunity to modify the scheme if it was found that the compensation involved was too great. There was no special provision under the Town-planning Act for compensation, but the Public Works Act would apply in this connection. No compensation would be payable in respect of fixing the distance from the road boundary of a residential building, where it was not proposed to take any land from the owner. There would be no compensation payable in regard to limiting the number of buildings that might be erected per acre; nor with respect to zoning. It was not to be expected that zoning could take effect at the outset of the scheme; but when the existing buildings were pulled down and re-built, in which case they would have to be erected in their proper zone. This part of the scheme therefore would take a long time to come into being. The existing state of affairs would have to be accepted largely in the built-up portions of the towns; but there would be power to prevent the erection of factories in places where they would interfere with residential areas. Betterment was a matter that would not affect the local bodies much for the time being. The principle cases would be where properties were given a frontage to a new road. The owner of the land could be called upon to pay half the amount of betterment increase due to the Council's work in this respect. RESIDENTIAL SAFEGUARD. There wwytwo temporary provisions

in the Act. Section 33 would enable the Council to submit to the Director any plan of subdivision with the object of obtaining his expert opinion and recommendation. Power was given therein for the approval of a street less than 66 feet wide if the Council first obtained the Director's approval, thus obviating the old procedure of Order-in-Couneil under the Public Works Act. Section 34 gave the Council power to prevent the erection of an undesirable building in a residential area, lie understood that Palmerston North had already taken action in one or two cases under tint, clause. A number of questions were put to and answered by Mr Hammond. at the concuusion of which the Mayor thanked him for his address.