GROUP BUILDING

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27367, 4 June 1954, Page 10

GROUP BUILDING

STEADY PROGRESS REPORTED

180 NOW ENGAGED IN SCHEME (Neto Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 3.

The group building scheme was progressing steadily throughout the country, the Minister of Housing (Mr W. Sullivan) told the housing conference today. Certain financing difficulties had been cleared up. and there were now 180 builders in the scheme. They had programmes for 2689 houses, and had Sold 206. *

•Mr Sullivan said all local authorities had been asked to put group housing schemes in hand, to make surveys of vacant land within.their boundaries, to reduce "initial standards of subdivision development, and to adopt a uniform building specification. They were also being encouraged to set up home advisory bureaux to give advice to citizens who were feeling their way to home ownership. The subdivision qf large family homes into flats was considered. The Minister said it had been suggested that there might be advantages m relaxing the by-laws covering the fire prevention measures of subdivided buildings. Mr W. E. Lavelle, representing the Institute of Architects, opposed any relaxation in fire protection standards. He said the cost of providing fire protection was trivial in relation to the total cost of subdividing large homes. The Minister said the Government was drafting legislation to permit the granting of separate titles to individual flats in multi-storeyed blocks.

The Deputy-Governor of the Reserve Bank (Mr A. R. Ross) told the meeting that “the general attituae of. the life assurance offices is that they will assist in financing such schemes, either by direct sponsorship, or by giving some mortgage backing, once legal and certain other aspects of the proposal have been cleared up.” The Minister said the erection of 24 houses for “build-your-own-heme” instructional purposes had been authorised in 16 localities. Classes had been begun or arranged in 22 schools. Mr Sullivan quoted a report on research problems prepared by an officer of the Dominion Physical Laboratory. He said the main problems were: (1) unsatisfactory roofing materials (apart from galvanised iron); (2) flat roofing; (3) a need for improvement in the quality of paints and wood preservatives; (4) unsatisfactory concrete blocks; (5) the standardisation of building by-laws; and (6) the use of radiata pine.

A sub-committee, it was reported, was investigating the need for setting up a building research organisation.