A bid to encourage more people to make Hamilton their home was revealed yesterday.

The move is designed to revitalise the City and greatly alleviate the growing problem of commuter traffic.

News of the initiative came as the new City of Hamilton draft plan was unveiled.

The plan did not involve an expansion of the boundaries of the city. But proposed incentives to lure people to Hamilton include a development bonus.

This permits an additional storey to be added to the maximum permitted number of storeys providing that at least 50 percent of the total floor space of the development is for residential use.

New height restrictions proposed still preserve the regulation that a view of the Cathedral should not be obliterated. The new draft plan was introduced by the Minister of Environment, Development, and Opportunity, Terry Lister at a Press conference in City Hall yesterday.

Mr. Lister said: "This is the third plan produced for the City, following the plans of 1973 and 1984. Over the last two decades, the amount of commercial floor space has doubled, the residential population has continued to decline, and the public has grown increasingly concerned about traffic congestion and the quality of the City's built environment. The plan addresses each of these issues.'' "The City has had a declining population for the last 50 years, and it is currently little more than a third of what it was in 1950,'' said Peter Adwick from the department of planning.

He also pointed out that there has been a significant increase in office space which has doubled from one million square feet in 1979 to two million square feet in 1996.

Mr. Adwick said that this had led to a change in the character of the City over the years, and pointed out that the majority of development had been in the south-west area with minimal development in the north-east.

Draft City plan unveiled One of the most important aspects of the new Plan is to tackle the traffic problem and Mr. Adwick presented statistics from the 1991 census which showed that 50 percent of the people commuting into the City used a car.

The surveys also revealed that half of those cars contained only one person and he claimed that this "obviously clogs up the streets of the City.'' He also said that ten percent of the entire city land area was devoted to parking which he described as "a significant amount.'' The new plan aims to reduce the amount of vehicular traffic entering the City, in particular commuter car traffic.

It also aims to provide for the most efficient management and circulation of traffic in and around the City and to minimise non-essential traffic in the City's central area.

And to reduce traffic congestion and encourage the use of alternative, more sustainable modes of transport to the car, the supply of new parking will be limited.

The Plan also aims to improve the pedestrian spaces around the City, taking into account the needs of the physically handicapped, and lower Reid Street has been identified as the most suitable area to be pedestrianised.

And it was noted that work has already begun on widening sidewalks.

The South West of the City has enjoyed many years of development and Mr.

Adwick said: "One of the key features is the development of the north of Hamilton.'' He said the new plan aimed to improve the retail aspect of Court Street, as well as create parks in the north-east of the City, and the Corporation has already purchased land for this initiative.

A new indoor/outdoor market to be built on Court Street was also proposed.

Other objectives include regenerating the waterfront, protecting and enhancing the City's heritage and ensuring high quality design.

The Plan comes into operation this morning, and is then subject to a two-month objection period which expires on April 6.

If any objections are received, an Objections Tribunal will be formed to resolve any issues, and the Minister will then submit the amended draft plan to the legislature for approval.

The Corporation of Hamilton will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, February 27 at City Hall to discuss the Plan.

Free copies of the draft City of Hamilton plan are available from the Department of Planning and City Hall from 8.30 a.m. today.

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