1000 NEW HOUSES LAST YEAR

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25083, 15 January 1947, Page 6

1000 NEW HOUSES LAST YEAR

METROPOLITAN AREA SHORTAGE STILL ACUTE More than 1000 new dwellings were built in the Christchurch metropolitan

area last year, but there has been no marked effect on the housing shortage, which remains acute. Upwards of £1,500,000 was spent on housing, including State construction, and, of the total value of building permits issued by metropolitan local bodies of £2,028,933, housing accounted for £1,290,722. The following table shows the number of permits issued in Christchurch last year for new houses, and the estimated value of the houses, together with the number of State houses built in the same period. The figures for the Waimairi and Heathcote counties include some houses erected in the rural sections of their areas.

•Whole metropolitan area. tNot available. The Mayor (Mr E. H. Andrews) commented yesterday that, in spite of the completion of this number of houses, the shortage persisted and that he received just as many appeals for assistance as he had done for years. There was still a very long waiting list, running into thousands, for State houses. Another evidence of the continued shortage is provided by the temporary accommodation erected by the City Council at Harewood to meet the needs of urgent cases until permanent homes can be found. There are 108 flats in the Harewood settlement, which has been bpen for nearly nine months, but in that time only 26 tenants have moved on, More flats are being prepared at Harewood. One section of the community which is appreciably better housed than it was a year ago is the returned serviceman. Twelve months ago the pressure of demobilisation was near its greatest, but Mr G. W. Dell, chairman of the Christchurch Rehabilitation Committee, said yesterday that there were not I nearly as many returned men living in I very bad conditions now, although l there were many, whose housing still left much to be desired. He attributed the improvement in the housing of servicemen in Christchurch to the extent to which they had been able to build or buy their own homes. Qhrietehurch led the rest of New Zealand for housing loans for returned servicemen, and last year’s total of about 100 Q was more than the figure for the Auckland metropolitan area, which had double the population. Any returned man who wished to build or buy a house in Christchurch was able to do so in a reasonable time. did co-operation had been received from a majority of builders, and a large number of land agents. Mr Dell said there had been great difficulty ip getting temporary accommodation in the last few months, but that was probably because of the holidays. The biggest problem the committee had was the man who gave up a good house in a country centre and moved his family to Christchurch before obtaining accommodation for them. When a man took a job in the city he should leave his family where they were until he had, found somewhere for them to live.

No. £ City .. 454 635,998 Riccarton .. 18 24,740 Waimaifi .. 322 471,011 Heathcote .. 185 134,371 Lyttelton ♦State .. .. 21 24,602 .. 251 t Total .. 1251 £1,290,722