GROUP BUILDING OF HOUSES

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27273, 13 February 1954, Page 6

GROUP BUILDING OF HOUSES

GUILDERS INTERESTED IN CHRISTCHURCH

EIGHTY HOMES PLANNED THIS YEAR

In the two days he had spent m Christchurch he had found builders greatly interested in the group homebuilding scheme, and the response had been most encouraging, said Mr B. Lumsden, secretary to the Minister of Housing (Mr W. Sullivan), before he returned to Wellington last evening. Eight builders in Christchurch had joined the scheme already and had plans to build 80 houses this year, Mr Lumsdep said. Several others were interested in joining the scheme, and some had ideas of building up to 30 or 50 houses in the year. In company with Mr J. K. McAlpine, member of Parliament for Selwyn, Mi- C. Baldwin, chairman of the : City Council’s housing committee, Mr E. Somers, the City Engineer, and Mr ; H. Sherbrooke, district supervisor for ' the Housing Construction Division of , the Ministry of Works, Mr Lumsden . yesterday visited a large area of ’ vacant back land in Spreydon. Mr . Lumsden would not comment on the ’ proposals for the area, but said that ; “something big” might develop. ; The group building scheme was now ’ showing results in other parts of the , country, he said, and it meant that . there would be a new market—well- , built houses that would be within the ’ rage of the man on an income of £6OO ’ to £BOO a year. The houses would be t of a good standard, because they had ■ to meet the requirements of the State , Advances Corporation. ; Building under the scheme is ext pected to begin in Christchurch within a matter of weeks.

Under the group scheme private builders erect houses for sale, preferably in groups of not less than six, with a guarantee by the State that it will take over an' agreed proportion of the houses not sold within two months of completion. A further State guarantee is that where builders provide land forthemselves, the Government will take over any land not built on under the group building scheme approved by the State Advances Corporation.