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14. CONCLUSION Prior to the establishment of the Ministry of Works there was a tendency to regard Government works, like the functional activity of Government Departments, in isolation. Similarly, local-body works and developments by private enterprise were separately conceived and separately carried out. It should be clear that the operations of these separate agencies have the same basic origin and purpose—namely, to satisfy the needs of the people in any given area or region—the needs of the same people. All works and developments which are initiated by the Government or other interests are therefore complementary and must be fitted into the same economic and social pattern. When they are completed all these developments contribute to the creation of the same physical environment, so as to meet the needs of the community in a convenient and orderly way. Even though a development may be conceived on the national scale, at least part of its effect is always local. On the other hand, locally conceived development must conform, where necessary, to national plans. It is essential, therefore, that urban, regional, and nation-wide plans should all be evolved in constant collaboration and with complete mutual understanding. Successful co-ordination of the many interests involved in the evolution of any comprehensive plan of physical development is perhaps the most important determinant of its success as a plan. In order that this co-ordination may in fact be achieved it is clear that a co-ordinating authority must exist. By placing the responsibility for physical planning with the Ministry of Works, the Government has made this Ministry responsible for securing that practical co-ordination, without which physical planning work could not be successfully done.

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