FURTHER CONFERENCE ON TOWN PLANNING

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 168, 6 October 1927, Page 15

FURTHER CONFERENCE ON TOWN PLANNING

POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE The position in. connection with thu proposed committee to bring •forward a town planning scheme for Auckland has been cleared up by correspondence with Wellington, and the Mayor, Mr. G. Baildon, stated to THE SUN this morning that he intended bringing the question of calling a further conference before the council. At. the first conference of local bodies. heW: in August, it was decided to take no action, on the ground that if the local bodies set up a committee and it was approved by the Town Planning Board % it then became the “responsible authority for the combined areas,” and wot Id override all local bodies in a vital portion of their activities. Since then the position has been cleared up by the Director of Town Planning. The town clerk, Mr. J. S. Brigham, conveyed the conference’s detistion to the director, and in the eatuing correspondence the director pointed out that any committee set up vas essentially the servant of the local authorities represented by it. • The duty of the committee, he pointed cut was to prepare the scheme for the vfcole area, and then secure the approval of the board. Naturally, the (ommittee would be expected and required to keep in communication with the local bodies, and secure opinions in respect to every phase of the scheme's development. “An soon as the scheme has been approved, the committee’s functions have been discharged, and the committee automatically ceases to exist,” said the director. “The whole duty of carrying out the scheme then devolves on the several bodies concerned. In effect, once approved, the scheme becomes as many separate schemes as there are local authorities, each charged with carrying out its own part. QUESTIONS IN DISPUTE Two questions remain in dispute. One is the number of bodies to be invited to tike part in the scheme; in other words, the area it is to cover; and the ot ier s the number of representatives the City Council is to have on the committee The Mayor, Mr. G. Baildon, suggested to the first conference that the area should be bounded by the Waitemata arid Manukau Harbours, and the Whau Creek and Tamaki River. The City Council also decided that it must have eight on a committee limited to 15. Mr. E. H. Potter, Mayor of Mount Eden, who has taken a prominent part in the movement, has suggested to Mr. Baildon, that the area should be larger, and that the committee should include 14 members, the citj' being represented by seven. Mr. Potter also suggested that, the powers of the committee being different r.*> what the original conference understood another conference should be called.