TOWN PLANNING.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 April 1919, Page 7

TOWN PLANNING.

HOUSING PKOBLEM IN NEW PLYMOUTH. In the courts of his annual report the town clerk (Mr F. Tt. B?Uringer) refers to the visit of Mr S. Hum, £°(rar, Hon. Organising Director of the New aw -1 land Town Planning Conference, to New Raff, mouth, which, he says, has been tfcf means of creating some interest in t)f Town Planning Conference which will be held in Wellington next tnonth. Under the auspiceg of the council Mr Segar gave a most interesting lecture upon "What Town Planning means to the Dbmimon." This is a. subject of vast importance, and it is impossible to more than touch on a fringe of the question in a report of this nature. It will, however, be of some interest if I set out as briefly as possible what are considered to be the main essentials of town planning. These are as follows: (1) Provision for housing the people in healthy homes with pleasant surroundings. (2) The demolition and reconstruction of buildings where necessary in the interests of public health and the general improvement of the area in which such buildings are situated. (3) Provision for dividing cities and towns into zones, for shops, warehouses, trades and industries and to separate each area from the strictly residential areas. (4) The fixing of varying building lines to secure the provision of proper air and sunlight for each home. (5) Strict regulation of advertisements and hoardings in streets. (6) Provision for ensuring that when estates are sub-divided for sale for residential purposes or new towns or sub~urbs are laid out, sufficient land shall be laid out in acordance with the principles which have been adopted in laying out what are known as "garden cities." In regard to the above, the most urgent at'the present moment, as far as New Plymouth is concerned, is the housing question. Fortunately this question forces itself into notice not because of any slum areas, but because of the great scarcity of houses. New Plymouth is making a rapid move fqrward, but sufficient provision is not being made for the housing of those desiring to live in the town. Many people have been forced to go elsewhere simply because they could not find houses in which they could live. The council has had the question of erecting workmen's homes under consideration for some little time, a committee having been appointed to bring down a schema. The matter is one calling for immediate attention and I would strongly recommend that the question be one of the first considered 6y the new council when it comes into office next month.