A BUILDING PERMIT WITHDRAWN

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21533, 24 July 1935, Page 18

A BUILDING PERMIT WITHDRAWN

TO THE BDITOB 01 THE I'BESS. Sir, —From your report of the Heathcote County Council's meeting, with reference to a permit to remove and erect a building in the Avon riding, it would appear as though timber had been moved into the county without inspection. The following are the true arid definite facts. I applied to the council's inspector, Mr Inder, to inspect a building for removal into the county. He passed it, provided an undertaking was given in writing that any wood affected with Borer or rot would be removed and replaced with sound timber. This undertaking he received in due course. His instructions then were to make application to the council for a permit to remove and reerect the building. This was issued. The building was then purchased and removed at considerable expense, but the council stopped the progress of the work but said it could proceed providing the undertaking previously given was honoured. Work was again started. The matter was then taken out of the inspector's hands by the chairman, who informed me by letter that the permit had been cancelled and refused any compromise whatever. He would not allow any of this timber sound or unsound to be used.

This action must surely be considered unreasonable and unfair, when the whole of the inspector's instructions had been carried out. The position is that this building would not have been purchased and removed except with the permission of the council's inspector, and the cancelling of the permit has therefore inflicted severe and unnecessary hardship on law-abiding ratepayers. I enclose a copy of my proposition to the council before the meeting on Friday night.—Yours, etc., d. Mcdonald. July 19, 1935. ["The dry rot and borer could not be seen until the building was taken down," said Mr W. W. Scarf?, chairman of the Heathcote County Council. "In fairness to ratepayers and also to the district, and in the terms of the by-laws of the county, the permit was cancelled."]