HHatoliay 1c0je Ricardo Rivadenciiey _ $saso- te Pye | pay jo) ~ GREATER LONDON | PLAN 1944 By PATRICK -ABERCROMBIE MA, ERIBA,, PETRI London Regional Planning by PROFESSOR ABERCROMBIE at the request of the Minister of Town and Country A Report prepared on bebalf of the Standing Conference on Planning LONDON HIS MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE 1945. PREAMBLE “ All shings are ready if our minds be £0.” ‘A Plan for London and the whole Region, which might be considered to fall under the metropolitan, influence, had long been overdue when the ‘Commission on the Location of the Industrial Popula- tion reported in 1939, London was therein singled out for immediate action. ‘The war, in addition fo the complete cessation of notmal life and growth, brought three new factors on to the scene—the destruction of large ateas, pasticu- + Tasly in the centre ; the evacuation of « large propor- tion of the population ; and the industrial upheaval due to almost universal war production. Not only the necessity for some plan of action became obvious ; the opportunity presenied itself to locate population and industry more logically, to improve transport adically, and to determine a proper use of the land. Finally, the ultimate size of London was inescapably involved, ‘This Plan is an attempt to make use of the oppor- ‘tmaity. It continues without break the plan prepared for the London County Council and should be studied and read together with it, tis hoped that it may make some contribution to the fatate state of this country and.to enable it to scitle down to a life of peace. @ INTRODUCTORY Since the beginning of the present war three plans, dealing with parts of the London Region, have been prepared, and each is complementary to the other two. ‘The City of London has prepated proposals dealing with planning and reconstruction in the vital Square ‘Mile at the hub of the Metropolis, ‘The County of London Plan, 1943, deals with the area beyond this up to the confines of the administrative County boundary. From this line again, outwards to adistance of approxi- mately 30 miles from the centre, the present study, the Greater London Plan 1944, is concerned, But these three complementary studies are each investigations into parts only of the one and indivisible Metropolis, ‘whose boundaties ate invisible to the naked eye, unrealised by the normal citizen—save when indicated by rate demands—and uamecaning to the : ‘These three different areas are all administratively of first-rate importance, ‘The compact unity of the City and the more widely fiung control of the L.C.C;, superimposed except for certain lesser functions on the ateas of the Metropolitan Boroughs, contrast sharply with the multiplicity of administrative units in Greater London, with its 2,599 square miles divided up into 143 local authorities. ‘In the area there is also a vast number of statutory authorities whose functions one way and snother impinge upon planning, such as the Port of London Authority, the Thames Conservancy, Drainage and Hospital Boatds, Gas, Electric Supply, Railway and Canal Companies ees” Of the 143 loc authorities, nearly every one has a planning scheme prepated, or in course of preparation, independently of lis neighbours. Less joint preparation has been evi- dened here than in any other urban group in the country. Although a few Advisory and Executive Committees have been at work, there has been a lamentable failure to sealise a need for co-ordination ss planning all ound London, lance in retrospect is here necessary to sum- arise the valiant attempts to overcome this fuiluze, bbut i is with profound egret that one looks back a¢ the years of wasted effort and lost opportunities. (2 RETROSPECT OF ATTEMPTS AT CO-ORDINATION ‘During the last war the London Society was insteu- ‘mental in prepating a plan for London which was fall of guidance forthe func, especialy in sega to roads In spaces, ‘iaschy 1920, the Unhealthy Ateas Committe, presided over by Mz. Neville Chamberlain, issued an interim report which dealt particularly’ with the London ates, and in Apri, rpat,theit final seport ‘was iss Recommendation 1 of this repost was to the effect that some competent person or persons should be at once authorised to prepare a plan for the reconstruction of London and the sutround- ing country, including the Home Counties as well as the Metropolitan and City Police Districts. Recommendation 12 was to the effect that. an inguity should be instituted without delay as to the nature, scope and functions of a new authority or combination of authotities to give statutory effect to such a plan, with such modifications as may be thought necessary, to control transport and to make such financial adjustments between ‘the locil authorities concerned as may be required,PREAMBLE Shortly after this the Grester London Regional Planning Commitee was formed at the instigation of the Minister of Health, and Dr. Raymond Unwia was appointed as Technical Adviser. ‘This Committee, composed of a lazge number of persons representing the ‘Various local planning authorities, was unfor- tunately unable to come to any far reaching decisions. ‘The reports which they issued consisted mainly of a seties of valuable contributions by Dr. Unwin, on hich if action had been taken, the planing problems of Greater London would have been vastly mote measurable today. But by 1931 sufficient funds were not forthcoming for the continuance of the Committee on a satisfactory basis and its usefulness came to an end a little later. 6 After this Committee. ceased to exist, a Standing Conference on London Regional Planning was con= stituted by the Minister of Health and it held its first meeting in October, 1937. The ares of the work of this conference was defined as being the London ‘Traffic Area. It was composed of one or two repre- sentatives from each of the County Councils, the City. of London and the County Boroughs, two represen- tatives from the Association of Municipal Cospo: tions, two from the Urban District Councils’ Associ tion and two fom the Rural District Councils’ Asso- ciation, and also a representative of the Ministry of Health, Sir Kingsley Wood, the Minister of Health, stated at that meeting that the new Conference would Afr from the old Commitee in tha it was not to be asked to consider and make proposils for the planning Of the region ab initio but only to consider such ques- tions as might be referred to it, He suggested that the most convenient method for the Conference would be to appoint a technical committee, composed of the officers of zepresentative authorities, who would make seports to the Conference on the referred questions. ‘The meeting appointed a Technical Committee com- posed of the appropriate Chicf Technical Officer of Gach, constituent coun, three nominated Municipal Engineers, representing’ the Boroughs, Urban Dis- tricts and Rural Districts respectively, and the Deputy Chief ‘Town Planning Inspector of the Ministry of Health, From time to time the Standing Conference, by means of the Technical Committee, dealt with vatious matters referred to it, but it was not, until shortly before the outbreak of war that it was able to gt fom the Ministry of Health approval of thei lecision to ask the ‘Technical Committee to consider ‘and report t0 them on : (©) ways and means of preparing a Regional or Master Plan forthe London Region; and (@) the possibility of establishing an agricultural ike Round Lond, MHS 9 #8 By this time the preparations for war made it impos- sible for the ‘Technical Committee to function, and before they were able to resume their labours, two farther important events occutred, @ In 1g4x the Minister of Works and Buildings asked the LCC, to prepare a Plan (published last year a the ‘County of London Plan 1943) and in 1942 he asked the Standing Conference if they would agree (which they a) to is appointing an expert to prepate an Outie Plan and Report for Greater London. ‘The Minister's instructions included a direction that the plan was to be prepared in collaboration with the Teclinical Co mittee of the Standing Conference. With this colla- oration, assured, free, and fruitful over the period of preparation, and ‘with the Plan now submitted, there Ingy be ported the hope that new and necessay unity in the planniag of this vital region may at lengt! begin to take shape. 6 CHARACTER OF GROWTH OF OUTER LONDON Between the wars, during the vatious abortive attempts to plan the growth of London as a whole, ‘and in spite of the piecemeal planing characteristic of 2 petiod wapaaleled in the production of approved and interim schemes, an unbridled rush of building ‘was proceeding in the form of a scamper over the home counties, practically uncontrolled by the’ so- called planning control, which was at best a venees, in the absence of powers to preserve agricultural land ‘without incussing enormous claims for compensation, HOUSING AND INDUSTRY ‘The selationship between housing and industry was almost entisely ignored. Huge schemes of decen- ‘were cattied out by local authorities, and vast housing estates were created by private enter- prise, while unrelated trading estates, or * parks” of Industry on the one hand, and isolated factories on the other hand, largely abandoning the traditional indus- ‘ial sitings, wallowed in the sea of suburban housin The lack of focal points for the new community li became eagieally evident, ‘The two opposite fendes- cies only produced a jumbie ; industry, finding housing established, followed in the hope of recruiting local labour, while elsewhere industry attived first and houses were thea dumped around the factories, On. the other hand, another anomaly appeated, and these is the paradox of houses for City workers built neat factories, wheteas the homes of those who work in the factories were still in the built-up centec. ‘The suburban houses, were generally built to sell; the reated houses, except the municipal cottage ets, were in the older urban areas. qPREAMBLE HOUSING AND TRANSPORT Here a similar dilemma raises its head ; modern transport attracts people to live away from theiz work wheze houses cor iy and ta nbs peat encouraged ; but only too often the housing spread, Stiving fist, creates a demand for forther taport and in cach ‘case the wheel turns a full and vicious circle, The London Passenger ‘Transport Board, now pioneer, now camp follower, plays a vigorous, if some- times uncertain, role, It creates new suburbs and then finds itself unable to cope with the traffic: extensions in other ditections aim at a further spread of the pop- ulation, On toutes overcrowded beyond cute, itasks the straphanger to exercise patience beyond limit. (8 ROAD IMPROVEMENTS (On another side of transport, the move for arterial road improvement, begun during the last war and ‘energetically pursued, has resulted in some better ‘radial routes, dn the catnying out of the Nowth Cigcular Road and the plotting of a South Circular Road, also in the wider hundred-mile projects of the North Otbital Road (partly constructed in Hertfordshire) and the South Ozbital Road (still with only a paper exist- ence). But any hope of a really compzchensive pro- gtamme of toad construction has hitherto always been stultifid by the lack of Government assistance. The idea that. money spent on wisely-planaed roads will save human lives and economic waste is not yet fally realised, and successive Ministries of Transport still beg for funds. Even when a much needed route, such as the North Circular Road or Western Avenue, is constructed, its frontages ate allowed to be cluttered with factories, blocks of flats, shops.and houses dis- charging vehicles and people at frequent intervals into the main steam of ttafic, thus impeding the object of the road. Generally, it s the case that a traveller from London by road will traverse mile after mile, in and beyond the suburbs, of arterial routes which have not yet been widened enough to allow more than one lane Of tac in each dzetion, or what may be even worse just room for three lanes with the perpetual struggle [Seoupesnacy to ge: pnt te eacin oar befor ane ing a head-on collision with somebody teying to do the same thing in the opposite ditection, Fast movement is thus impossible ; congestion results, and accidents abound. In the midst of these conditions of general chaos, it is something to discesn that the County of London Plan 1943, with the help of the Bressey survey, iecovers a road system, on which the Greater London Plan 1944 proceeds to build. © USE OF AGRICULTURAL LAND One aspect of the hasty extensions of London has hitherto been neglected. If the land was available for building, little or no attention was paid to its type on an agricultural basis ; the difference between the best farming land o: poor farming land was outweighed by building values, and even market garden land with its often itteplaceable value as providing feesh food for Londoners, was not immune from the insistent claims of building as a better profit-maker, And if building did not always come Grectly to desteoy the matkee ‘gardens and the orchards, the indirect needs of build- ing were only too often expressed by the removal of gravel, sand and chalk, which spelled equal destraction of agricultural values.” For all this no adequate protec- tion has been obtained through the town planning schemes in foree, ot in course of preparation. (ro THE GREEN BELT ‘The great conception of a Green Belt sound London, sedulously fostered by the London Society for many ears and actively taken up by Raymond Unwin ia his Report on Open Spaces isgued by the Greater London ‘Regional Planning Committee, began to take shape in the years following 19313 to the L.C.C. is due the credit for initisting the Green Belt Scheme in 1935, and by 1938 the Green Belt Act became law. While the aim of this legislation was chiefly recreational, it also provided for the securing and continuing, in their present state, of lands used for farming, recognising the value of thus keeping open large tracts of land for the visual solace of man, as well as safeguasding farm- land from building. ‘This first essay in the co-opera- tive planning of the region sound London was undet- taken jointly by the County Councils concerned. The two million pounds voted as the share of the London Couinty Council, together with the shares subscribed by other Councils, are already paying handsome divi- dends in health and happiness, besides other probable seturns in terms of money. (n PUBLIC SERVICES Such public services as water, drainage, electricity, gas, scavenging, road repairs, ete., are on the whole well provided, as would be expected in this important extta-metropolitan area, but there are many wasteful stall dtainage schemes which might well be com- bined. Services act in this region not 2s determinant factors in planning, but rather as followers of aw INDICATIONS OF STRUCTURE In suzveying the main features of the growth of Outer London, is any stmuctufe discernible in the apparently amorphous sprawl ? One ean discover old communities that still, in spite of accretions, retain theit focal points, such as St. Albans, Watford, Guild- ford, Kingston, Gravesend, Brentwood and’ others,PREAMBLE One can find old communities that still temain mote or less unchanged, as Hertford, Denham, Dorking or Epping. ‘There are communities entitely new, as Letchworth, Welwyn Garden City and Becontree, There ate others entirely overwhelmed, like Wembley, and finally there ate vast areas of inchoate, incoherent housing, such as can be found to the south of Hatrow, to the nosth of Hayes in Middlesex, to the south of the Kingston By-Pass, or around Hornchurch. ‘Looked at in a more, general way, there emerges a certain towards concentric rings, which can ‘be measuted in terms of housing density. ‘The central ‘overcrowded urban mass of London is’ not confined within, but in places laps over, the L.C.C, boundary. Outside this mass ate the fully developed suburbs, some within the County of London, but more without, containing on the whole tolerable densities. Next comes a zone with sufficient openness to have enabled attempts to be made to cteate a Green Belt, a zone in ‘which the communities still maintain some semblance of distinct individuality. Lastly, there is the outer zone in which communities old and new are still seen against an agricultural background. ‘This faint indication of structure calls for decision, Is the structure to be. evivified and strengthened in its present form? Are the dry bones of the valley once more to receive the call to stand and live? Or, on the other hand, is the skeleton to receive ‘modification and alteration ? Or finally, is the shape s0 hopeless that only breaking up will meet the case ? Gs ‘The picture of London is well summed up in para, 352 of the Barlow Report : “The obvious attractions which Greater London possesses as a market, a centre of poten- tial labour, a distributing centre, and as an area in which electrical power is universally available, inevitably tend to attract many consumers’ industries to locate themselves in or neat to it. ‘The extra employment provided by the new factories further adds to the importance of the aca aga market. ‘Thus higher industrial activity and puschasing power are induced. ‘The magnetic pull on industry is sttengthened ; and, as respects {he industrial population, wide opportunities of employment add to the attractive power which London naturally exerts through the advantages which it possesses as a Capital city. So the pro- cess of growth continues—market and popala- tion acting and reacting upon one another to build up an ever greater collection of people and industsies, Nothing succeeds like success.” (14 What we now find before us is the combined result of ewo opposing trends. ‘There has been an exodus of London workers from the centre, people moving out in a process of voluntary decentralisation of homes, if not of work, and at the same time the pull of London has caused an immigration ftom various parts of the countzy. The Regional fringe has formed the meeting lace. of these two groups, Who have there pesforce formed uneasy settlements together. ‘The records are in the Census ‘Tables from 1921 onwards. Slough is an excellent example, Here the old inhabitants meet immigrants mainly from Dutham and South Wales. Gs + ASSUMPTIONS ‘The present Plan is based upon certain assumptions, No proposals of any positive value can be made unless thete is either a definite programme of requirements, or alternatively, certain assumptions which the planner most make, If plans, for instance, are being put for- ward for 2 Naval Base ot Port, it is essential to know whether the function of the Base or Portis intended to continue, and whether it is to inctease or dectease. But in the present case there is not one predominant fanetion, but sather all the complexity of the Capital and its environs, In the City and the County of London the proposition is in ‘some respects easier ; there we are faced with cestain precise problems for which solutions can be propounded (though not necessasily agreed tol); the fixing of densitics of people to provide satisfactory conditions for health and work ; the relief of traffic congestion ; the isola- tion and integration of functions; the domestic, monumental and commercial rebuilding of destroyed areas, London as the Capital reaches a cettain degree of definiteness for its centeal pasts, But, in the surrounding Region, the picture has to be completed inthe absence of any precise frame ofits enclosing boundary to give finality to the composition. To continue the metaphor, in place of 2 framed plots it is necessary to atempe a fesooed tenment ‘which shall include not only walls and ceiling, but also the design of floor, all inscnsibly leading out into the suttounding setting, ‘The regional planning area round the Capital eannot ‘actually be bounded even by such a line as that of the London Passenger Transport Arez. Perforce, an area of first instance has had to be defined, embraci ‘whole of three counties and parts of five, Middlesex, Hertfordshire, and Surzey are wholly included ; Kent, out to Gravesend and beyond Sevenoaks ; Essex, to beyond Ongar, Shenfield and Wickford ; a small por- tion of Bedfordshire around Luton and Dunstable; a art of Buckinghamshire as far out as Amersham and High Wycombe; and a part of Berkshire including Windsor and Ascot. But as proposals take shape we are led to consider their effect on towns as far distant as so miles; we have indeed to contemplate decen- tralisation taking people even fusther afield.PREAMBLE If, then, the proposals for this vast and vatied atea, this nebulous entity which tings the Capital, are to have definite value, they must be based on definite assumptions. i (a6 ASSUMPTION 1 ‘The first of these is the recommendation contained in the Barlow Report, that no new industry shall be admitted to London aad the Home Counties exee in special cases. ‘This involves consideration of the industrial fature of London and its surroundings. Docs it presage a gradual reduction of industry ? Every year factory undertakings disappear; if new cones are not allowed to take their place, is there then a prospect of London becoming a distressed area, or are many existing industries likely to expand and continue to do 80? 7 ASSUMPTION 2 Insepatable from consideration of London’s indus- trial futuse is the question of decenttalisation of per- sons and industry from the congested centre, already secommended in the County of London Plan, and this recommendation forms the second assumption, ‘The authors of the County of London Plan, while preferring ‘a density of roo persons per acte for central arcas, have recommended a density of 156, as they felt that the actual numbers to be decenttalised would be difficult to equate with the amount of industry which could be cted to migrate.” Ifa high degree of direction is taker in the location of industry, then the lower of these two density figures, involving a decentsalisation of 817,750 * persons might.be followed, but for the purposes of this Report the recommended density of 136, involving the decentralisation of 618,c00 * persons, has been assumed. To this will be added the figare in the present Report for decanting from.over- esowded places outside the L.C.C. Axes, namely, THE NATURE ‘The Plan for this London Region, based upon these assumptions and prepared in close accord with the County of London Plan, must of necessity consist of general ideas rather than Of detailed proposals. Com- pared with the County of London and the City Plans, it is extensive in place of intensive in nature and in enetal its charactetistic will be receptive and develop- ing, instead of decentralising and replanning. Again, these two centsal plans ate broadly based upon the requirements of two individual authorities : with, of course, due seference to their neighbours and to ‘the constituent bodies of which they are composed—e.g., the Metropolitan Boroughs. ‘The Regional Plan is «Toe gure given ia the County f Loadon Pa ave been zelda sheen pt 415,000, giving a gtand total of 1,033,000 petsons to te decentralised of moved from the ented mae. A steady exodus of population was already taking place before the war, but if this move were merely acce- erated without 2 comesponding'move of work-places, it would result in worse transport congestion and more loss of time, money and energy. "The chief change, therefore, resulting from these two assumptions, will be a rearrangement of popula- tion and industry within the Region. ‘The numbers in the centre will decrease, those in the outer areas will grow, though no longer at a spectacular rate, nor in a sporadic wa (18 ASSUMPTION 3 ‘The thitd assumption, which is implicit in the other ‘evo, is that as a result of the Barlow secommendation, and in consonance with national trends, the total population of the area will not increase, but on the contrary, will be somewhat seduced. In other words, and in accordance with the desire for a more logical grouping of industry on national lines, the redistsibu- tion of population and industry will psoceed up to and even beyond the physical limits of the area under dis- cussion, 9 ASSUMPTION 4 An assumption is required, dealing with the future of London as a Post. IF the Post of London ceases to thrive, London will decay. Tt is assumed, therefore, for the purposes of this Report, that the Port of London will continue to be one of the world’s great ports. (Go ASSUMPTION 35 It is assumed that new powers for planning will be -avalableinchding powers for the contol of lid values. Gr OF THE PLAN buileup out ofa number of Counties, County Boroughs and County Districts, many of them of municipal status and of the size and importance of distinct towns. ‘The Regional Plan is not the sum of the wishes and proposals of these individual authorities, however much they may be conceived on planned lines. ‘We have received, it is tme, and given the closest attention to the “ appreciations of the futuze” which many of these authorities have given us they were of immeasurable impostance in illuminating our first steps in the exploration of the area. It is always much more satisfactory for the planner t0 be offered positive ideas by the locality, than to be left entitely’ free to make up his mind. ‘Thete are imponderables of import which even'a perfectly prepared scientific survey mayPREAMBLE not register. This is pasticularly the case where lange tracts of country ate involved and, to agricultural cos- sideritions, are added amenity and even sentiment : for these reasons It may be well o nope oven jotential means of opening up for development ” in Bede to keep a certsn renee chaser OF ae © the whole of Greater London. (a2 For the same reason there may be some disappoint iment ja, chose young of growing communities for whom the idea of decentralisation has opened uj vistas of industry and population—the laudable an: znatural ambition of an energetic local authority which feels itself able to cope with a huge iacrease and dizect it through local channels into the full flood of national prosperity. We have observed also in certain quarters 2 tendency to imagine that the moment war ceases London will resume her process of absozbing « dis- proportionate amount of national development (which may represent an increase in one area balanced by a corresponding decrease elsewhere, though not neces- sacly a Iter tasferece), For these people Barlow might never have reported, not the bitth-rate cast its diminishing shadow before, At one period of our researches it might have been possible to add up the confident predictions of enterprising authorities to & greatly increased Metropolitan population. There rust, therefore, inevitably be some disappointments : there may also be, at frst, some surprise at the recom- mended abandonment of the vast schemes of unzelated hhouse-building, which were in full career in every direction round London. ‘The familiar argument that where there is so serious a shortage of housing accommodation in the country at large, any houses, of any size, built anywhere (and sometimes anyhow) ate ‘2 contribution to be thankfully received, and no ques- tions asked, must no longer count, Nor should the subsequent grumbles by Civic and Preservation Socie~ ties at the way in which the houses have been provided —theit straggling, lack of coherence, low grade design, total absence of grouping—be taken as an unrelated comment. This Plan proposes a oually different con- ception of the gigantic central rebuilding and dec trtlised new-bullding programme with which London 1s a whole will be faced : an effort which will requize the co-operation of all building organisations, financial and technical, to achieve, ‘There ate also mistakes to bbe cottected | in some cases industrial locations with- out due consideration of all the factors in others, Jose and staggered units of related, but unco- otdinated activities : again, proposals for development of and (on quite prope ines) without due consiers- tion of its agricultural value : andmost frequent ofall, ‘ist eas of housing which bave nether unity for defined boundary. We have been spating of our pro- pposals for total instant demolition; though in some Cases we have made use of the Uhwatt suggestion for allotting a petiod of “ life.” “We have, of course, been attracted by unofficial schemes which proposed whole- sale demolishment of communities, old of new, which interfered with the symmetzy of theit pattern: again, swe admire the boldness of another organisation which proposes as a ist step towards national reconstruction, the demolishment of 400,000 recently built houses. Ournotions are more modest : we have damped down, swe have curtailed, what appears on fall investigation to be wrong, even where money has been sunk in preliminary services for opening up—and it will be Found that these curtailments affect works by local authorities, statutory undertakers and private enter wise, But wherever possible we have shown how it IS still feasible to rescue and to integrate what we con- sidered was going wrong. Gs "These and moze constructive detailed studies have been made strictly as samples, in ordet to illustrate our general proposals, “There has been neither the time hor staff to make detailed recommendations through ‘out the Region: nor would it be appropriate of fitting to usup the labours of local initiative, Tt may inde be ssid that nearly every town or community in the Region requires some degzee of centzal seplanning : if it be a congested central borough it needs a complete overhaul of its present housing and industrial state : if it has suffered destruction, it is not only a policy of decentralisation that is wanted, but immediate plans of rebuilding to the new standard : if it be an “outer” borough which is to receive additional decentralised populition and industry, it will need a thorough examination of its central business, shopping and civic centies ; many of these outer towns have grown in the Inst 25 yeass through vast. suburban accretions while remaining at heart antiquated country towns, their shopping centre enlarged by continuous ribbon ng along the main trafic street of intensive rebuilding oon their present sites without any regatd to the extra tralfic they are engendering : even those places which have not greatly increased and which may wish to pre- serve their civic integrity, have had their dignified main street tumed into a traffic route which at week- ends may tise to so frenzied a pitch as to slaughter ‘and maim their inhabitants and shake theix venerable buildings to pieces ; external regional relief must be accompanied by detailed central replanning which recognises that a shopping precinct should not be a tsaffic artery, (es On the other hand, in taking a broad and selective outlook, it is not enough, of course, to point to X fares of land within a certain circumference of London which at a density of Y persons could house and ‘occupy the whole population of Greater London at ‘an amazingly low density, There ate large areas yphich in de intrest of London a8 whole sould be Kept as reserves of open country : nor ate transport edother flit equally present. Sites available for absolutely new towns are surprisingly limited. If thePREAMBLE experiment of real and rndical decentralisation is to be actempted by the cretion of « numberof new towns and the increase of certain existing centres, every possible care must be taken that the sites and centres Contain in them the seeds of success» The need for artificial stimulus is a siga of weakness after the stage of civic infancy has been passed. Conditions which are likely to ensure success in the creation ot enlargement of towns have been most carefully studied from all angles : the size of the communities ; thcic relation to and separation from each other ; their connection STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN: “After fall consideration we have come to the con- clasion that the main pattem of the Plan should be Sased upon the fain indeed sacs of concettc rm mentioned in sec. 13 (Drawing facing p. 22). The futual evolution of dsoadery groweh ean be shaped into some semblance of ordered. design, both for population grouping, land wse, transport and public Services. But upon these faintly differentiated areas are to be imposed much more directive and corrective aims: there, too, boundaties are to be sharply defined instead of used a8 an image of a2 out-of-focus photograph, ‘As regards zoning in its widest sense, these con- centric sings must be broadly defined accosding t0 population numbers and density, industrial location And use of open land for agriculture and recreation. 6 “The first, or Inner Ring, does not make a clear dia- zammatc’ Spore in this Plan, as iti. (hs been Slready mentioned) in a sense en overspill of the fully urbanised portions of the L.C.C, built-up mass, [This statement, made from the diageammetic angle, docs not, of course, ignore the fact that many of these urban communities afe of great antiquity and have merely been absorbed in the London sptead.] ‘The Innez Ring includes areas which, owing to their high density and lack of sufficient open space, require decenttalising : there is not sufficent unbuilt-upon and to adjust their overcrowding within theis own, boundaries, We have adopted (using the same caleu- Jations and defiaitions as in the County of London Plan) two maximum net population densities of 75 ‘and 100 persons per acre for different parts of this zone, On this basis 415,000 persons require decentralising, in addition to the figure in the County of Landon Plan for the overcrowded areas within its boundary. ‘Some of these Boroughs have reccived damage by enemy action on as great a scale as any part of Central London, and they wl, we aides embark upon detailed plans for sebuilding at once, working upon SeSiecl Bits Pans ifitis accepted, ‘Theeuggestions for the destination of the populations to be removed, 2 to supplies of raw materials and mackets ; cheit attrac- tions to people to live there and to industrialists ox usiness-inen to work there 5 their suitability for cet- tain trades and occupations ; their balance between different trades and male and female labour ; theis means of transpott, by air no less than by other means 5 the topographic suitability of their sites, etc. ‘The complexities are immense, but it is the province of town and country planning to attempt to assess the ‘value of the many factors involved and to arrive at a balanced judgment, es ZONING: THE FOUR RINGS together with remarks upon the accompanying decen- ttalisation of industry, will be dealt with later. (27 ‘The second Ring, which might well be called Sabuzban London,” makes a much clearer showing on its outer periphery, though on the inner it also metges, especially on the south-east, imperceptibly into the L.C.C. ates, where there are also suburban conditions. ‘This is the ting which to the general public represents most vividly London’s sprawl, though much ribboning and scattering and spotting occurs further out, It is by no means an exact clicle in shape, but it has an approximate radius of 32 miles fiom Chasing Cross: there area few * wedges "of open land thet penetrate into the mass, the most remarkable being that of Totteridge and Mill Hill, whose apex is within 8 miles of Charing Cross, The outer boundary has been drawn with great care with the object of keeping it as compact as possible. "This ring, with segard to population and industry, is to be regarded as a static zone, itis neither & recep tion area for decentralised pessons, not industry ; nor does it, in general, require decentralisation, except for the pockets of overcrowding which exist in it, and some of these can be adjusted within the sing itself. Nor should it be allowed to increase in population from any other sources, as most of the vacant frontages (Gee Chapter 5, sec. 106) will be requited for displaced populations. “Any other areas of land unbuilt on as yet Should be kept open even though they may have been zoned for building in the statutory planning schemes, ‘this open land will be requised for many purposes, for example, recreational open space which is deficient in the County of London. “A maximum net residential density of 30 persons per acre should be aimed at within this ring. “Though it has been said that this second ting should be “ static.” this by no means suggests that there is n0 need of any action within it, In addition to the limination of high density pockets, the whole area requires wosking over with great etal and ace in order to carry on the Community Grouping principle SGrocatel in ie County of London la Blas av Plan. Plans havePREAMBLE been prepared showing the housing carried out between the wars (psacticaly all of it undes Statutory Planning control) and the older portions. A study of ‘these plans reveals that the newer parts, beyoad having au density generally not exceeding 12 houses per acte, and a certain differentiation in the use of roads (culs- de-sac, minor approach roads, etc.) exhibit few of the ‘major vequizements of town planning, Thereisno moze outstanding example in the country of the perversion of the principles laid down by Ebenezer Howard. (28 “The third ring is somewhat more difficult to define. Broadly speaking, it is thae asea which includes most of the land which has been acquired under the Green Bole Act (2938). Under the somewhat tautological tite, * The Green Belt Ring,” its intended to incinde much more open land, no cess n public owner. Ship but permanently safeguarded against building oF a The Uthwatt Committee. [The Rural Zone applied ‘under the 1932, Act being altogether ineffective where buch immense impetus ¢0 intensive building develop- ment exists,] It has often been pointed out that if action had been taken 25 yeass ago @ real belt of open ‘country round London could have been secured, not aly mote completly real ha the presen propo, jut nearer in. ‘Within this Greed Belt Ring are to be found a larger number of communities than one would have liked, some old and some new: but they are more distinct than those in the Suburban Ring, where each {group tends to coalesce with its neighbour. Ancient fowns as big as Watford and Reigate are here and the upstart communities (founded on small village nuclei) Which straggle tound Hornchurch and Upminster in the east, and Banstead and Orpington in the south, for jnstance. This Green Zone is of paramount import ance to London, as providing the frst stretches of open country: it is here also that the public open space SHAG, Sethe’ County of London wil be chiely nade up; where ozgenised large-scale games can be ghyed vide ara of pas od woodland cjoyel and footpaths used through the farmland, The absolute purchase of land for fall public use, undet the admiz- Eble Green Belt Act, should thus continue where the land is suitable for playing fields and where it consists of specially beautifil pleces of natural or artifical Iand- see: buLits hope tat nd or apace, which ‘will comptise the geeater part of the Green Belt Ring, ean be safeguarded by other and equally effective ai limit withis Te is also necessary’ to limit within this zone, very stsicly, any expansion of existing communities ¢ and to estublish 0 new centres. Exceptions to this prin- ple involving testzicted expansion must, however, Dé made ia the case of certain important manufacturing centres and for ceftein immediate post-war housing puxposes. 05 Finally, beyond the Green Belt Ring, and extending to the boundary of the area, is the Outer Country Ring, containing distinct cominunities situated in land ‘whieh is open in character and in prevailing farming use. While chis general character ‘will be preserved, lt is intended to allow in this sing a mose generous expansion of existing centtes and also to provide the sites for new satellites : both expansion of old, and new growths will be occasioned by the decentralised population and industry from inner London, with the exception of the “Oscillation” figure dealt with in sec. 46 and concemed chiefly with vacant frontages. “This Outet Country Ring may, therefore, be de- ictibed as the chief reception area for overcrowded [ondon : but it must not be regarded as a uniformly suitable ste for gach purposes not only is there the very marked variation of agricultural fextlity and of transport facility, but in addition there is the strong contrast of scenic qualities and rural atmosphere. Certain local authorities have indicated to-us, and we cordially endorse, the undesitability of invading par- ticular districts by even the best planned new com- munities: these quiet areas are not to be preserved in the interests of local of adjacent inhabitants, but in those of London as a whole, There axe, fortunately, large tracts both north and south of the ‘Thames which contsin some of the most attractive rural, woodland and hilly scenery in the south of England. "Vhat on the south is alseady considerably safeguarded under the National Tos a ‘Within this Countey Ring may be found examples of whe best and the worst forms of sxtellte growth, under almost unfettesed conditions, in the London, Region. There are also examples’ where, without rising to the heights or sinking to the depths, unsatis- factory communities have resulted from too much attention to the purely industrial aspect : an example of the over-emphasis of the housing aspect is not found in this Outer Ring bat parallel cases occur in the Inner Rings. “fe eannot be ssid that the outer boundary of the Country Ring is as satisfactorily defined as ‘the outer boundaries of the second and thitd rings. It has been considerably determined by administrative lines, ‘whereas the others were worked out from actual use. ‘We were asked to include the whole of the Counties of Hestfordshire and Sirrey which, though we were prepared to do it, has somewhat obscured the essential Importance of this line, But as result of our in- {quitics we have submitted a suggested sevision of the rea recommended by the Barlow Royal Commission Within which additional industzial undertakings should be banned.* ‘The small scale diagram (Drawi facing p. 66) illusteates this suggested boundary: Greatet London for industtial regulation. Go For the qualiction of thi scp, 43,of the Report of the Rowe coe SESE Sk ata poplin Got 3)PREAMBLE ‘The reception of the decentralised population is proposed beyond this boondasy as ‘well a8 within it it the places beyond this boundary which may receive te population are no longer considered undet the Barlow ban : if they grow thep-are not considered to be adding to London’s swollen bulk, As industry ‘may be attracted to them from London, so it may also come from other centres, if nationally convenient, ‘Though not strictly falling within the scope of this Greater London Plan, we have given some attention to sevesal centres, e.g, Aylesbury, Bletchley, Bintree, tc, on about the’ somile radius from a 85} we have also allotted a propostion of the decentalltion figure to them, Whey wil of course, fall under the genesal control of industrial Iocation, Gr STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN: COMMUNICATIONS ‘Transport follows closely upon the soning pattern it also grows naturally and impetceptibly out of the system devised for the inner core in the County of London Plan, But in the main, regional transport does not deal with such highly concentiated, acute and controversial problems of urban traffic conges- tion: although the worst social festure—strap- hhanging at peak hours—penetrates far into the outer segion, Pethaps it may be said that the separation of long distance from local road trafic can be more clearly defined and more easily realised than in the dlosely built centre: indeed, many attempts have already been made by means of new sadial avenues, circular roads and by-passes to individual places : but ‘owing'to a lack of logic in achieving the object, for hich many diferent agencies are blamed, only ppartial success in the avoidance of accidents and the increase of speed has resulted. It is doubtless better to take the Watford By-Pass than to pass through the centre of the town, and to travel along the new Cam- bridge Road than by the old ribboning communities which ate almost continuous from ‘Tottenham to Ware. But we aim at something better still. ‘As regards Air ‘Transport, only a tentative system fot London as a whole is now possible: it was decided, on the best obtainable advice, that except for helicoptets or aircraft with similar methods of Janding, air transport must be kept outside the London County area : but in the air things move more quickly than anywhere else, cannot be considered tat any- thing like finality has been reached in the systematic, provision of aerial transport. G2 ‘The approach to the road plan for the Region bas been different from that of Sir Charles Bressey in his Highinay Sosvey, ‘These, it will be remembeted, he ‘prepared a map showing 4 system of main roads of all, sorts : he then suggested that certain of these might be picked out and treated as Motorways, We have followed more closely upon the County of London Plan which distinguished beeween an extremely simplified system of “arterial roads” and all other these arterial roads consisted of one ring, ten radials and a central ctoss (for the most patt ia tunnel). We have taken these ten radials and projected an entitely new system of express arterial roads (or one-purpose motorways), including a new outer sing (called the D Ring) placed on the inner edge of the Green Belt, that is om the verge of the built-up area of London. ‘The sadials become national routes and have been carried to their logical conclusions, largely based upon the report submitted to the Minister of Transport by the County Surveyors Society in 1938. Certain other main roads become regional routes of sub-atterial all- purpose chumctt, "The Great West Road, the ‘ambrldge Road, the Barnet and Watford By-Passes, the Bastem and Western Avenues and the Kingston By-Pass would continue to fanction in this regional tanner and wonld eae ee el aoe volume of traffic engendered by the business an social ats of a community of ten milion nkabitants. ‘They should prove adequate for that purpose if they ate carfily preserved fiom further frontage develop” ment, if their connections with other roads are. kept suficenly wide apart, and whete posible furnished ‘with more up-to-date intersections (especially where @ “ freelow ” of traffic is required in one direction). A number of additional by-passes will be required, possibly more of an intemal (in order to relieve the shopping precinct-strect of through traffic) than of an extemal type (to Felieve the town ofthe passing tac log Tike everything els in this Plah, there is a graded onder of priority for the new express arterial toad : there would be no interruption of traffic in any direc- tion in the present system of main roads, until one by fone the express atterial roads were completed, to relieve the former of their high-speed and distance trafic, There is something extremely simple about this proposal, consisting as it does of ten adials and fwo sings, the inner (B Ring) within the TCC. boundary, the oute®: ) just outside the built Ben Underneath a twee [the mage of Londons main toads, radials, diagonals, and three rings, the Nosth and South Osbital (E Ring), the Nosth’ and South Cirular (C Ring) and the A Ring. ‘Thete, will bbe less need for expensive widenings of many of the existing roads; no money for this purpose should be diverted from the system of express arterial roads. Te is believed that these new express arterial roads will prove less costly to construct than widening of existing roads, which at best will produce a patchworkPREAMBLE result: that the saving in transport costs will be enormous : that if carried out with real co-operative agricultural planning, the damage to farming can be minimised: and that as regards rural amenities, these new roads can be made real works of landscape att. G3 ‘The tailways in the London Region ate the logical extension of their central terminations. In the County of London Plan a number of suggestions giving tise to far-reaching implications wete put forward in a somewhat more tentative form than the road pro- posal and a request was made for s special body to e set up to examine them. The position in the Region is similar, One of the chicf suggestions affecting the main trunk lines, common to both plans, is the change-over to electric traction at points before the built-up arca Je reached; these points ae indcated and itis atic pated that they will become loa distributing centres 3 traffic which does not need ‘to enter London propes. For this purpose and for other reasons, in some cases connected with sites for satellites, several of the connecting links which occur in the region and which at present are not much used, might be im- proved. We have placed our new satellites in such a ‘way that long lengths of new railway are not required 5 bt something wil be necessary forthe major sexo, ‘As segards local passenger transport, the funda- mental Cuangés propored in the felation between homes and work must be taken into consideration, stensions of suburban lines and tbc, which may ave been begun ot for which parliamentary powers tye been obtuned, may no logger be requlet, aad congested lines, it'is hoped, may be relieved. A review of the whole passenger transport system will be necessary, if the proposals for the redistribution of the population made in this Plan take effect. In making detailed studies of individual towns many inserting and curious conditions ae found to exist, Inrgely owing to the comparatively recent tinalgamation of many lines andthe ow readhstnents that it has been possible to make, ‘The large number of stations in some places (¢.g, 14 in Croydon) ; the existence of more than one minor terminal, as well as, main through line, in others ; are examples of what is meant, ‘This Plan is not able to consider these internal problems of communities in detail, but there does appear to be a need for a detailed overhaul in order that the -suburben suilway system may be as efficent as the road system proposed. ‘The study of facilities for goods and markets is another aspect of general railways affairs which might be dealt with by some joint committee representing the four Companies and forming the railway section of a Genetal Transport Board. ‘The location of acrodromes has been catefully considered in relation to sailway connection, Here is an opportunity from the start to plan a system of new communications adequately related to the older forms of toad and rail transport. From these observations upon railways, it will be seen that in the first instance we tecommend that gewal proposals should be examined by the special body asked for by the County of London Plan. But the milways, both main lines and tubes, should patti- cipate in a permanent ‘Transport Board which would ‘work in close co-operation with the Regional Planning Board proposed in Chapter 14. G4 Te is interesting and fiting—and indeed pethaps inevitable—that the subject of Ai Transport, as devised for a Capital City (pethaps one of the first planned under the new conditions revealed during this war) brings Planning at one bound into the inter- national sphere, ‘The chief airport for London is not regional of national, but hemispheric in its scale. ‘The hierarchy will, therefore, for once be complete : it will range from hemispheric, continental, national, regional to local scale. An attempt has been made to plan this completely. new system of airports and to ‘work out the inter-relation of use in the five scales of tuaffic distance, involving possibly the use of taxi- planes from aerodrome to aerodrome, But our principal care has been to see that they ate related to the mail and road system. Here, of course, the express arterial road system will be of first importance, giving guick access fo the centre of London by the radials, and connecting one aerodrome with another by the Dinticular attention has been given, in co-operation with the Director of Civil Aviation, to the planaing of the surroundings of the principal airport for a long term policy. Gs It should be unnecessary to say that this scheme for tsansport ia all its forms has been closely devised to work together, not as an antagonistic system, but complementary, following the lead set by the London Passenger Transport Board. It has also been planned in direct connection with the existing communities and with proposals for development ot the con- nuance of tne stains gue. No civic of social centres are cut through or across, streets which in old days gould serve the dual purpose of talc and shopping have been sharply differentiated, new sailways ot stations are not proposed for areas which it is not intended to develop for building ; at the same time the aeds of marketing produce wll be met i ‘The proposed regrouping of the population an Jndostey is intended to reduce, as much as possible, time aad money spent in diurnal travelling, although it is secognised that s0 long as man is fee to choose hhis home and occupation, and so long as individualPREAMBLE members of families develop different aptitudes it will be impossible to prevent, in a great centze of population, a considerable amount of criss-cross joumeys. G6 STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN: THE OPEN BACKGROUND Sit Raymond Unwin first posed the alternative solutions to London’s outward spread : either a con- Sinaous zone of fieeentry for universal bulding at varying degrees of density (some of them, in high- Thee Ci) dates, ute logs is cont brokes se intervals by areas of green (at public open space) and, in practice, by petches of farmland left over from the bullders demand or continuous green background ‘of open country in which are embedded at suitable places compact spots of red, representing building, ‘We have unhesitatingly adopted the second alternative, which he advocated, For the two outer sings. Teis probable that the dual use—for agriculture and tecreation—mentioned in the Scott Report definition of a Green Belt (para. 202), will apply to both of these sings, as the pent-up population will inevitably avail themselves of the country, though in decreasing intensity as their centrifugal dispersion increases the ratio of openness. G7 From the agricultural point of view, the preservation for farm and other ealdvation use ofthe most pro: ductive land is essential. ‘This can now be facilitated by consultation with the Planning Department of the Ministry of Agricultute,* Also, where proposals for building of new additions to existing communities have been agreed upon, the minimum disturbance of economic farm units is to be arranged. And finally, the recreational use is to be made to interfere as little as possible with farming operations, G8 From the recreational point of view, pethaps the ‘most important need is the linking up of open spaces tnd the adion to the Green Beltpotecesioes oo meet the need for organised games for the whole com- munity, The scenic aspect of regional open space has postbly been futher advanced than the plying fle it much still remains to be acquired. Little has, so far, been done to knit the whole together into 2 continuous system by footpaths, park strips, riverside walks, bridle-ways and green lanes, ‘There should be 4 pedestrian system of communications as efficient as, that for the motor, and the Jess these two means of locomotion are provided in contiguity, the better for both, ‘Just as there is to be a gigantic Green Belt round built-up London, so there should be lesser girdles for the sepamte communities, old and new this local gitdle need not be wide, if beyond it is open agricul- fural country. Also some landscaped screes, not * Sex the Report by De, Daley Stamp seslypepated fr thie Plan in Chaper 6 nccessatily of continuous trees, is desirable to break: the impact of building, especially seen at some distance upon the open view. Certain recent com- munities, carefully designed in detail, have still been insufficiently studied from this landscape aspect. (39 ‘Two other details of the Open Spaces Plan may be mentioned. ‘There is the need to preserve, wherever they exist, wedges of country which still in a few places thrust their points into the built-up mass. We ‘would like to see these wedges eartied right into the centte of London and we believe it could be done in a long term policy. ‘There are also cettain large geographic fentares which could be rescued from an ‘unsatisfactory state and an uncertain fate. ‘The most obvious is the Lee Valley, which for miles suns lel to London’s oldest sibbon of communities. It is tme that it is partly industtilised and if no action ‘were taken this would probably contioue in a desultory, Iandscape-devastating way. But in che hands of’ skilful landscapist this valley, with its streams, disused gravel pits and water reservoiss could in places be turned into a miniature Norfolk Broads : there is still time to rescue it and to make it an open space of artificial beauty contrasted with primeval oping Forest. The Cay Valley is almost gone, but thete is still time to rescue the Upper Roding. "(40 Lastly, we propose that under the Regibnal Planning Authority (described lates) the Green Belt and other ‘regional open spaces should be eontzolled in such way that landscaping, afforestation (with fall regerd to amenity), and full public use may be harmonised under the best possible advice. @ ‘The London Repicin surveyed by the impartial and comparative eye of the geographer cannot be said to be very remarkable for the possession ‘of dramatic, romantic or noble landscape featuses. ‘The ‘Thames is its one great natural possession which in one or two places rises to a pitch of scenic grandewr—the view from Richmond Terrace which has for years trembled on the brink of spoliation, and the Cliveden stretch which recently, to all belief, made safe for ever, is even now thteatened by indastaal is the ‘Tames i only at moments grand unhiling quiet beauty, enhanced by the distant past, though more zecently suffering from batbarous man’s exploitation and ignorance, desultory industry, shacks and bungalows, indiscriminate tcee- felling, advertisements, etc, Tis recreational value warrants a continuance of the older spirit ofPREAMBLE creative conservation and imaginative landscape desig ‘The most spectacular features of the region are chaps che escarpments of the Chilterns and the jotth Downs, much of the latter, though by no means all, being already safeguarded, Not only the Downs themselves but the prospect from them is important : it is not satisfying to look dowa from the top of acl elif ito he sewage diaposl plane of town, This plant may be a petfect example of engi- sneering efficiency, but its contrast with the natural ibeauty of the Dowas is too abrupt. It is worse, of course, to [ook down, as one can in some places, on cmd ‘ten-to-the-acre’ streets. of houses destroying villages and landscape. “There are also large extents of varied scenery risin to considerable heights of intrinsic beauty in. su districts as Leith Hill, Ide Hil, the Broxbourne Woods gad pars of the Chiles, Another fortunate side of London's regional topography isthe existence of large ‘tacts of almost sterile ground, pethaps more frequent ashe tout having ofe oft ost famous examples in Wimbledon Common, ‘Their poor agricultural value saved them from enclosure and “ improvement” {fo the groely material eye of Cobber they were ase, jess) : and they were safeguarded for the public before their building ‘value had sisen so high as to defeat the ‘most ardent champion of open spaces. Many of them. have been pounced upon for miltay purposes ducing the past filty years : but this agriculturally poor sol regenertes its primeval vegetation when not too jntensively trampled upon, with surprising speed. Much of this land, still in private ownership, semains to be secured : ¢o the City dweller its heather, bisches ‘and gorse excel by far the utmost skill of the garden and park designet. “Again, in a zegion with over ten million inhabitants guite simple and, as ie were, nozmal fragments of sural England including maybe « village which, lying of 4 road or mil zoute, bas escaped the suburban builder's eye and which in a country county might almost be taken for gzunted, assume 4 real relative importance ‘out ofall proportion to their intrissic landscape mesis, These should, if possible, not be invaded: there is ¢ time when the developer should refrain, even from good works, though it be pain and grief to him. (42 THE POLICY AIMED AT IN THE DETAILED MOVEMENT OF POPULATION AND WORK Such is the supporting framework or canvas upon ‘which a more detailed plan is to be drawn. And great as are the difficulties of transport provision (including as they do the handling of an old problem—daily short- Gistance and through long-distance—and the creation of a completely new system—by ait): enormous as js the need to protect agricultural productivity : and vital as is the preservation of the tecreative reservoir of country and puse air: nevertheless, it is the muping of population and industry that is the real task of this Plan for Greater London. Woslking with the Barlow contention that London is too large, or at any rate large enough, some detailed attempt must be made to redistribute the population and industry within the region, as well as consider what might leave it. Gs But here the plannet of Outet London senses two streams of thought in this twin objective of home and work. ‘The ines authorities (i. the L.C.C. and the tdjacent over-dense Boroughs) ate chiefly concerned to render their working quarters really healehy, eon ‘venient and pleasant. ‘To do this they must de- entealise, To those thet leave them, they have the duty of seeing that so far as is possible they take their ‘work with them, or at any fate move to a place where they ean engage upon similar work to that which they have left behind. Everyone, of course, gencmll knows, and certain minute investigations have proved, how. complex and gradual this process is. The ‘emphasis is on the People, m Bat there is another approach, in which the emphasis is on Occupation. Here the custodians of our industrial prosperity are studying where industry is wanted ; it may be the balancing of a lopsided or one‘track ‘atea; it may be the rehabilitation of a cprssed aca i may again be aimed at making use of 2 pool of available labour; or it may be finding purchasers for wat factories likely to be suitable for Givilian industry. In general, this approach might be Se ad fetes eld than the ctr. ‘We have endeavouted to meet both thts approaches and though our concera is primarily within the region, ‘we have made some more tentative suggestions for disper of two type, beyond, A national policy for jndustrial distribution will naturally modify or super- sede these. ‘Within the whole of London (both inner and outes) there may be said to be two types of population move- ‘ment both mainly centrifugal (these are alluded to in assumption 2). ‘They might be called Sporadic and ‘Mass “Decentfalisation, the first unconscious, the second organised ; both have existed in the past and both should be used in the future, 'Theze has been a steady stream of people leaving older built-up London for the newer suburbs, and there have been large- seale L.C.C, housing ‘schemes outside the LCC. boundaty, the largest being that of Becontree, There bas been a tendency to maintain that the unconscious trek outwards gives some sost of Imeasute of the size of the mass movement. Thus, ifPREAMBLE so,eco people per annum left London dispersedly in ten years, juivalent to a mass move of half a million from the East End, ‘This is a misleading icture ; the sporadic move is of all sorts and con- tions of men, changing their abode for all sorts of reasons—not imercly dissatisfaction with a_ slum dwelling. If half a million were moved from Central “London as past ofan onganised scheme, with ncom- panying industry and to properly prepared reception ‘ots, loud epteset st iftely ges conception fd achievement both quantitatively and qualitatively, But we envisage the continuance of both these movements, the sporadic probably on «smaller scale, ‘but the mass on a greatly increased scale, 4s SPORADIC MOVEMENT OR OSCILLATION: SPECULATIVE BUILDING: VILLAGES It is pethnps advsnbe to consider this sporadic movement before the greater and ‘mote spectacular methodicdl decentralisation. We have called it an Oscillation, because sightly considered, it is by no ‘means only’an outward move (though the prepondes- ‘ance has been in that direction) but a movement in and out and to and fto within town and suburb. Te represents that margin for free and individual move- ‘ment which must always existin a human community, ‘a margin either of vacant houses of sites. Some people put the figute as a percentage of the total population gs Between s and 1094, we have Appronched i om the opposite end by finding out ‘what ate the sites* throughout the Region which can be used without overbalancing existing suburban communities. For it must be obvious from the major premises upon which this Plan is based, that large- scale speculative building with almost untimited choice of site is no longer to continue. ‘Thete was sound London, indeed in fall swing, an orgy of house building based upon the anticipation that the metropolis would continue sucking in an altogether undue proportion of the country’s popu- Jnsion grow, ‘The measnte ofthis ubiquitous soppy can be taken by means of a survey of the unfinished schemes which the outbreak of war suddenly stopped. ‘This hasbeen done with peat cat in the thee Figs, the Suburban, the Green Belt and the Open, and d result shows the numbers of vacant frontages which ase ready For building with roads partly or wholly made up, and services either laid on or readily obtained, ‘The toml igure for all thre tings tepreson's accom: modation available for 386,000 people: there are enough of all types of sites, at all notmal densities, in all parts of Grester London for all the varied needs of this sposadic decentralisation or oscillation. ‘The figure, it will be noted, represents about 4% of the total population, and sliowing for a proportion of this unmethodical movement being inciuded inthe planned groups, should suffice for many years. Twill be seen thatthe figuee of 386,000 docs not septeent an jciets in London’s population, except fot that of natural fertility, which if national trends continue and ate representative also of London, could bbe covered by it. “This Plan bar ot oneal wi te irpret abjeto Pte” When itis stated that beyond the filling up of vacant frontages large scale speculative building on specula- tively chosen sites must cease, this does not mean that there will not bea demand for houses for London, both for internal re-building and external decentralisation, ‘There will be almost unlimited scope for every type of agency for house building of the tight ¢ype and on the right places, under the right guidance. 6 Tt might be asked whether these vacant frontages fon unfinished speculative housing sites restrict the freedom of choice which people already exezcise, ‘The awe thei: Sy, they ae ae surrot (many of them very attractive) to which Individas!eaoice was limited in the post and they are to be found in every district in Greater London ; secondly, it is an essential recommendation of our scheme that these slabs of housing should be welded into ral communities, their ragged edges sounded of soci al ‘centres ly i, and focal gzeen belts provided. Buildings ‘often undis- ‘tinguished and degtaded in architectural appearance will indeed remain’: but nature assists the gardener and time will pethape sofien even thir apertes thirdly, it would be economically wasteful not to make use of these road works and public services : it would be equally foolish to allow any further development of new sites until these frontages are substantially built upt Gr Jn addition to these housing areas, many attached to older communities, some having already swamped small places, and others standing in open countsy or tibboning along roads, there ate many old villages ‘which have so far retained theis integrity. To allow additions to these as part of the programime of oscilla- tion and freedom of choice is dangerous, even though these additions would be on frontages within the village enceinte (and not extemal additions to it). It vould be dif to prohibit all building except for agricaltntal purposes : at the same time there should bbe no free-entry sites and every permission should be scrutinised most closely on aschitectural as well as social grounds. ‘The old unspoilt villages and country towns are an asset of frst importance to London, (48 he revbon of Sutney Schemes andthe cancion of pa oe voli ae enone ic. 68 be 5PREAMBLE METHODICAL OR MASS DECENTRALISATION AND DISPERSAL ‘The disposition of the total figure for mass ze rouping of the population, of slightly over one Filia {eco sec. 48), has been alloted under fre broad headings. ‘The allotment has not been made arbitrarily ox theoretically (except for one ite), but has been based upon the sums of individual and almost minute calculations, finally adjusted in order to keep certain broad principles in view. ae the dessation of this ee tion, it will be useful to state the figuses ia their Ztmplest form before describing in greater” detail ™ how they ae made up (1 appa ola). ‘Te will be seen that this sub-division and destination of decentralised population corresponds closely with that suggested in Chapter 2 ofthe County of London lan, with the exception that in this tegional study we are satarally aot concerned with the possible comple- tion of schemes within the County of London area. ‘Also it must be pointed out thet the third type (in the County of London Plan), ive. “Satellites located within the Metropolitan ‘Traffic Area,” has been sub- divided for purposes of more, detailed study into * Additions to Existing ‘Towns ” and “New Sites,” and refers to the Outer Country Ring of the Greater London area. ‘The two headings (¢) and (8) above are now discussed in a little more detail. oy ‘TABLE (@) Decentralisation In and Near the Region persons persons @) Addition to existing ‘Towns . 261,000 Gi) New Sites... «583,250 (ii) Quasi-Satellites . + 125,000 769,250 ) Dispersal Oubside the Region (iv) Additions to ‘Towns within a somile radius... 163,750 (W) Beyond the Metropolitan in- fluence ++ 199,900 263,750 ‘Total number of regrouped population 1,033,000 (This may be compared with the number of sparse whlch, woul by ol Sue fr the regrouped population if the: lower density of 100 pelsons per acte were adopted forthe cent aes). DECENTRALISATION IN AND NEAR THE REGION: APPLICATION TO EXISTING COMMUNITIES: NEW SITES: QUASI-SATELLITES Perhaps more time-and thought has been given to the effect upon and aptitude of existing towns for receiving both additional population and industry than to any other aspect of this work. Some of the factors concerned are given in sce, r10. With so many and so different places, it is impossible to. summarise the vations reasons for these figures : the details will be found in Chapter 10, Ta some cases it isa “round ing of” f of a community that appears all that is desirable: in others a direct addition can be planned : some places ate capable of large expansion, others of a much smaller amount : in some, again, the expansion will not take place in, of be added to, the town itself, bbut will take the form of a series of smaller satellites, like moons around a planet. In every case the addition is lange enough to allow of a community group based upon the sadards which we have doped, In this sharp distinction is drawn between mass and sporadic movement; oscillation may continue to occut in the same place, filling up the single sites of vacant front- ages. In many cases these additions may occur upon land already zoned for houses and industry ; but in neatly every case some revision of the statutory Portis se Chapt 5. 4 The * roundig of "allowance le sedued toa base ela in he ‘Gite Bel Ring, bts more georouinthe Outer Conny Ringe 4 schemes (in whatever stage they are) will be necessary, 48 in common with planning schemes throughout the country, far too much land was zoned for building development. It is better to zone fairly tightly anc revise schemes if unexpected growth can be justified, than to leave so large a margin that neither systematic location nor ultimate size cin be even approximately foreseen. "Oscillation also provides margin, so that there should be no danger of over-tightness.” (50 ‘The choosing of sites for new communities is always an’ exhilarating side of the planner’s work: it is impossible to escape from the sequel that opportunity is to be offered for the creation of a town which will embody the latest ideas of civic design. ‘The London Region is fortunate in possessing two such new com- munities, Letchworth and Welwyn, both due to the genius of the late Ebenezer Howard. Recent research tends towards a somewhat larger unit than Howard proposed: but ao incre indetliy. "The population igure which we have adopted is 60,000 28 2 maximum : this would suggest seven New Towns es within the London Region, but as in the case of several sites, there are populgtions already on the ground (but not Jagge enough to constitute an enlargement of an exist= ing place, as described in the preceding paragraph) \PREAMBLE there would be cight of these new communities in the London Region. On the plans accompanying this Report tea postble sites are shown from which the ‘ight proposed could be sclected, The others would low a certain amount of latitude in the ultimate selection of sites and would also be sufficient to meet increased decentralisation from the central areas if the Tower density of roo were adopted. In order to arrive at sites which can be recommended from the industeial development aspect and which do not unduly offend against agricaliusal requisements or invade rural amenities which aré necessary to London as a whole, we have examined sites in the Outer Country Ring. Te is perhaps needless to add that the sites which we ‘have chosen ate capable of economic layout and can be povided, with the necesary public services, | We wve made 2 study for a New Towa on one of these sites, Gr In all schemes for planning these are certain urgent decisions or works: which have to be put in hand, Peups before the plan is completed, and a any rte efote the comprehensive carrying out of it can be begun, In spit of the decision made to push all large scale new building beyond the Green Belt zone, there are certain towns situated: within it which can make POPULATION DISPERSED Itis not possible to prosecute equally detailed studies outside the Region: but there was unmistakable evidence that industrialists and workpeople are. pre- pared, if they move at all, to go as far as so miles ‘without wholly losing the benefits of the metropolitan connection: there may be certain business and transport advantages in being closer to other industrial centres, such as Birmingham, Tt will be seen that we have allotted a smaller figure to those so-mile radius towns than to the existing towns within the Region, (53 out a case for some continued growth for a limited period rill their planned size is reached. Another exception is found in the necessity for overcrowded Taner London to start decentralising. simultaneous} with rebuilding immediately on the cessation of hostili- tics, For this first step sites must be found which satisfy two apparently contradictory requirements : they must be near enough to their former places of ‘work for an easy journey, and they must have present ‘or future possibilities of work near by.* Owing to the timesag between human and industrial movement (esctibed in sec. 56) this work should be already existing in, or likely to come into existence at an early’ date in, a neighbouring town. On the face of it these gpsi-teltes offend against all notions of planned lecentralisation : they are, in the first instance, tesi- dential and they ate too close in, Nevertheless they ate necessary features of the short-term policy of immediate post-war housing requirements; the maximum figure of 125,000 has been allotted for the urpose, Piffentually, wherevet possible, these quasé-metzo- politan satellites, becoming socially and industrially integrated with ‘the: older communities near which they ate situated, will fall into that system of “moon satellites ” already alluded to. 2 OUTSIDE THE REGION ‘The population that may leave London altogether, migenting for cxample to Yorkshise or South Wales, is highly problematic, It is possible that in this case alone industry will prove moze movable than persons. ‘On the other hand, some of those who have come into the London area since 1925 may be ready to return to theit homes when employment there is available. ‘The figure of 100,000 might be composed chiefly of key- workers and their families. Ga THE DECENTRALISING BOROUGHS AND THE SUBURBAN RING The same detailed study has been made of the County and Municipal Boroughs which sequire theis densities reduced and the communities in the suburban ting. which (with the exception of vacant frontages) have no land which should be used for further build- ing, except for zeducing local overcrowding. The jenetal charactetistics of both these areas have been lescribed (sce secs. 26 and 27). Gs INDUSTRIAL LOCATION COMPARED WITH HOUSING Eiphasis in the preceding paragraphs may appear to have been laid upon petsie evolved in wetons types of new locations, both decentralised and dis: persed, But of course these are never to be considered apart from occupation : our concern is primarily with the “distribution of the Industrial Population,” although the London Region will never cease to be the home of the retited and the leisured (f there are any in the foture). Occupation in the Region, t00, is likely to be not only industrial but clerical. A great 1 deal of thought has been given to this, and much knowledge has been gained from the Barlow Report including the Evidence), the work of the Nutlicld Research and personal help from the Board of Trade and theit Regional Officers. ‘The local factors of location are complicated : not only is it necessary to study the causes which have operated, almost unchecked, up to the preseat, from ‘which it would seem that Rivers, Roads and Railways * See the Coury of Lenton Repo ps 8%.PREAMBLE have been the most cogent determinants : thus some ideas can be gained of what appear to be the most suitable sites for each type of industry likely to be moved out. But it is also desitable to sec that these sites are not unnecessarily far from the populations to be removed. In planned decentralisation there will always be a certain time-lag between persons and factories—industry may voluntarily go there first, as at Slough—more often people are moved and gradually factories follow, as at Becontree. For the power of dealing with the location of people has been in opera~ tion to some extent for a long time (under municipal enterprise) : whereas we have still no effective control aver the location of industry. On the other hand che speculative buildes, the largest purveyor of houses in Soren, by having fee choice as to where he would ‘operate, thereby also exercised control over where people lived, ‘They had indeed a choice of speculative Sies—which was wide—but nevertheless imposed upon them, as was also the type and size of house, ‘The speculative builder was himself frequently dependent §pon tenspost, gun acing in ts wa interests, ‘Thos the zapidity of slowness of the growth of a place ‘would be determined for private ends: the freedom of the developer was the measure of the public's limi- tation of choice, Tt is only when detailed study is given to the bar~ monising of human and industrial movement that the extreme complexities appear. It is no matter of a neat transference of a works and its workers, say from ‘West Him to a country site in Essex. Many of the people in one borough work in the factories situated in another : the occupations of the membets of one family are frequently totally different. Nevertheless 2 broad policy of the movement of people and work con and niust be pussued. But it must be recognised that it will take a considerable time for the final adjustments to be made, ‘The sudden transference of a solid block of workers from one place, into sn old established town with set traditions and occupation, might at first upset its balance and create a sort of alien colony most harmful to the social steuceate. ‘A scheme of decentralisation of this magnitude is a policy which raust be pursued with persistence and Yvigous, but also with discretion and sympathy for natural human feelings and weaknesses, 6 ‘As patt of the Regional administrative machinery, not only will t be necessary to have an officer admini tering whatever powers of persuasions there may be for the location of industry, but an equally important social or population dizector who can keep the hnman side uppermost and who can keep watch that the spisie Of the scheme for regional grouping of the population is carsied out, 67 DELAILED STUDIES ‘We have made certain detailed studies, merely as examples of what is meant by local action in com- ieting or filling in the details within our broad Framework. These are intended to illustiate some of the typical problems of the Region. Firstly, @ design for a new town on an open site, emmay be interesting to compate this with the existing and successful “new ” town of Welwyn Garden City. Secondly, an attempt to pull together a scattered development of industry loosely related to the old town of Matield, ‘The de Havilland factory is on the Barnet By-Pass ; another on an island site at its inter- section with the North Orbital ; an isolated factory appeatsin the fields beyond, Flats nd slabs of housing spsing up whetever a site is obtainable; there is no proper connection with the old town, beyond which Is one of the greatest houses and parks in the country, sefoguacded for over against developments a stange mixture of modern disorder and ancient onder. To produce a unified community it has been necessary t0 suggest a small amount of demolition and 2 cestain amount of additonal growth, Ags, comparison may be made with Welwyn Garden City which grew ‘up simultaneously with new Hatfield, ‘Thirdly, the rebuilding proposalsata reduced density of two ates of one ofthe boroughs requiring deen: tralisation, which has also suffered large scale damage at enemy hands. 8 STANDARDS In addition to detailed studies of certain places, there are necessary detailed standards: for general application throughout the Region. Much work has bbeen secently done and much remains to be done in establishing some basis of calculation for the larger ‘components of communities, for density of houses, area for open space, public buildings, ete.—the units into which they can be divided for vatious fanctions : for social and civic centzes, for schools of different grades, for shopping centres of varying types, for id rmatkets,for hospitals, ete. Pethaps the most obviously ‘sportt edhe opis sie ae gaelitecommanisy ofa fully equippedtype: its population and the acreage Ghich # should coves, Ebenezer Howard, a pioneer in this as in every other walk of civic advance, pro- posed 4 population of 30,000: recent research based ‘upon all known factors suggests something more like double this figure, ‘These stantlasds are put forward as applicable strictly to the London Regional Arca ; for although aPREAMBLE jasior schoo! might well serve the same area in Glou- ester, Manchester or London [the one-hundred thousand, million and ten million urban centres), the presence ‘of the Metropolis inevitably affects such ‘equirements as those for hospitals, shopping, mazkets, theatres, act galleries, museums, etc, 68 ‘The housing densities adopted arc based upon the Servic Interaieriano de lnforaclor ‘Sobre Desarllo irhane method of calculation given in the County of London’ Repost. ‘There is no’ gente: net density than 20 etsons per acre: the adoption ofthis and 7 in the jrban Ring and so in the Suburban produce the decentralisation figure to be added to that given by the County of London Plan, For new sites an overall net density of 30 has been taken, combined with a maximum net density of so persons per acre. (60 PUBLIC, SERVICES ‘The very lasge shift of population proposed within the Region will have a ska efec upon the pro- vision of public sezvices. It has alseady been stated ‘that in spite of a smaller and less dense population in the Fast End and on the Surrey side of London, the modem types of building, which aecosding to the proposals of the Plin will be universal in’ a com- panstively short time, will consume more water than the more densely packed buildings in the past: The conservation of pure water is vital: the policy of rushing it to the sea as something to be got rid of, in order fo secure better land drainage for agriculture, should be qualified by the need to secure adequate supplies for London. (or ‘Thete is already a great measure of co-ordination, of | services—water,,. clectticity, gas, telephones, dlaisage id eowags copoly bE" thse feces had in some cases been framed upon an ex ection of unlimited growth, or at any mite japon a different policy of population grouping. ‘They should, at "the easiest moment ‘posse, be. 20 exainined. It is hoped that very few schemes have been put in hand which this Plan will render abortive; but it is clear that the settling of nearly half 4 million people in new satellites will tax the resources and the tesoutcefuiness of the purveyors of public services very considerably. At any tate, if this ot a modified plan is acted upon in place of no plan, they will have a programme of require- ‘ments artzaged ji periods, upon which t0 base REALISATION: DESIGN AND AMENITY Tes all very well to plot out a complete scheme of population, industry, communications, play spaces, social centies, shops, water supply and drains : +0 propose to add here, to colonise there, to regenerate and to group ; all written on paper and shown on two Gimensional maps. Icis indeed the great disadvantage of the att and science of planning that its realisation must be so gradual, that it remains on paper so long, only coming to life by bits here and there, the single tesset of the mosaic, whose complete design is casily lost sight of, It is also an initial drawback that it must be presented in this flat way; no one would dream of judging the work of an atchitect merely on his dcawing, “Wren would come off poorly in his design for St, Paul's, compared with the exthedal as we have it in the solid, Perspective drawings, the architect’s attempt at forestalling this realisation, models, which get nearer still—even these can only be used very slightly to illustrate single features or details in a wide scheme of planning covering 2,399 square miles. Nevertheless it must be stated with the greatest emphasis, that the most logical and sociological Scheme conceivable on paper wil ultimately be judged by fe realisation in works of architecture, eapiaeesing and landscape, ‘Theres not only seope, but the neces. sity for the highest skill in every direction ia the design 7 their calculations. os of buildings, singly and in the mass. Roads and bridges, the new motorways, give great aew oppor tunities; as has been shown in U.S.A. they can be things of beauty to the user and can drop into the Jandscape unobtrusively and enhancingly. Tt is not sufficient for those who ate to provide hhouses or other buildings to rely upon some “con tolling authority” with powess to reject or amend oor quality design, and 1 consider hae alls well f #e authorities bave propely equipped salt for the purpose, We must aim at good design in the first Instance which does not-rely upon being licked into shape by an official, however competent and pains- taking, in otder thet it may pass muster. A’ com munity is not made up of a umber of single buildings, unrelated to each other, and which manage 10 be at best hasmless or devoid of offence. House-builders especially, who have failed in the recent past, amst set themselves a higher standard. It is indeed & gigantic task because, in place of one gseat single conception, wwe bave a mosaic made up of innumerable pieces [ists million houses alone, with the addition of pcx bulldings and amaller dials such as lamp-post, sailings and kerbs} which cannot be designed by one single ofice and yet most be harmonised and pioved to be worthy of the central idea, London, the capital 65 of the Empire,PREAMBLE ‘The word amenity, to which constant official use has given 2 chilling sound by n0 means possessed i its original classical context,* covers those matters ia ‘which positive original design is not so much sought as the maintenance of pleasant surroundings, of which the first is a clean aiz, with nothing worse than the ‘mists which the Thames may send us, not thickened into pez-soup. “The exclamation against change, from people living in pleasant surroundings, has been in the main iustfied, for neatly every change in the country round London in the recent past has been for the worse. ‘Those who are fortunate enough to remember the villages of the Middlesex pein (¢ few stl miznclonsty semain), the anes of Hertfordshire, the heaths and chalk valleys of Sustey, the woods and slopes of Buckinghamshire, the orchards of Kent and the deep seclusion of rural Essex withia ten miles of Londo, cannot but rage at ‘what has been substituted for them, “This natural and justifiable reaction against change must be conquered by proving that, in place. of innumerable houses of vatious sizes without grouping ce climax, peppered over the countryside oF Sug along, the fonds, it is possible to create seal com munities in which people can be proud to live. To Took down from the chalk escarpment upon a medi- ‘eval of tenaissance town two of three miles away in the Weald would not offend: it would delight the eye, close pent within its walls, with peshaps an encitclement of tree planted walks around, its silhouette cutting the horizontal line of the South Downs, its colour in harmony with, or in consistent contrast with the green country’ of its setting. Ganot all the skill of architects and landscapists to-day ptoduce something equally beautiful, seen ata distance and near to ? Fortunately most of the normal couatryside, as emphasised in the Scott Repost, derives its beauty Targely from the occupation and operation of farming, based upon aature’s background with its vasiety contour, geology and soil and its dynamic features, the Thames with its tributaries lage and small: we have also inherited much of man’s historic addition in the fotm of villages, farmhouses, tzee-planting and Tandscaped parks. ‘The farming, to produce the typical beauty of sural England, most, as the Scott Report also points out, be prosperous : decayed farmland is not the same as wild nature, Agriculture must be given jts chance, and not invaded by intrusive building. (65 ‘There are, finally, disfigurements which ate apt to collect in the neighbourhood of large towns: ill- laced advettisement is perhaps the chief offender. Jeis also easy for lites, which in its ephemeral form, however objectionable, can be cleared away, to assume the quasi-permanent untidiness of dumps, abandoned workings, ete. Ye is unfortunate that certain essential industrial concerns, based pon a geological occurrence, become disfigurement, especially whese they clash with recreational use.” ‘The three principal ones, Drick-making, lime burning and cement manufacture, and geavel digging, ase all concerned with building, for which there willbe an unprecedented demand after the war. Fortunately brick-making on a large scale, of which the most pervasive disfigurement is the fame; lies outside this Region. ‘The others require most careful balanced consideration, including especi- fly the regeneration of the site after che workings fare exhausted. ‘These, and some other industrial concems, refute the theory that if an operation is ‘useful and efficient, it must be beautifel 65 REALISATION: THE ADMINISTRATIVE MACHINE “Thhene is the other side to physical sealisation : the creation of « machine armed with powers and finance to carty the plan into execution, G It is not necessary at this stage to point out the necessity of increased legal powers : these have been discussed fully before the Barlow Commission chiefly in gelation to the location of industey and the conse- zeal population, and by the ‘Uthwatt Committee as separds land. {efollows also that exiting staratory Town Plannin scheoes wil here, aan the test of te consi, need drastic revisal : particularly in the areas zoned for houses and factoties, There will doubtless be cases of hardship, especially where permits to build were * Velox soca mene Lacrlisn NOEs fase (rhese wn nang cing a Horace’ Sobine Fez) B issued before the war, which prevented completion. ‘Many of these must now be abandoned. (68 Temay also be necessary to establish some means of obtaining an equalisation of burdens or advantages fs between local authorities. The sight of each to ‘tim at the maximum growth and to atteact as much industry as they can swallow, must now be curtailed. Byen certain works undertaken under ministerial sanction may prove unnecessary. (cy “The provision of power for lansing i ational concern; but the devising of the best authority to tdiinister those powers s the unique problem of this Metsopolitan Region. ‘There is aothing that resembles ie in the rest of the country. The suggestion is made that the Region be divided up into a series of Joint Planning Committees, fully representative of the local