CONTROL OVER BUILDINGS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29170, 2 April 1960, Page 15

CONTROL OVER BUILDINGS

Wide Powers Sought For Local Bodies (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 1. The Government is looking into the question of giving local authorities more power to deal with buildings which could be dangerous in earthquakes. ’7^ ere are many buildings in Wellington which would be unsafe in earthquakes and we have not had the proper power to deal with them,” said the chairman of the City Council by-laws committee (Cr. D. G. Porter) today. Cr. Porter said that about two years ago the, council approached the Minister' of Internal Affairs 'Mr Andertop) asking for power to deal with potentially dangerous buildings. The council wrote again recently and had now been told a meeting was to be called next week.

A spokesman of the Internal Affairs Department said that a departmental committee consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Works, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Internal Affairs Department and the Earthquake and War Damage Commission had been set up and had met. The Wellington City Council had asked for a wider committee. The meeting next week was with the council to discuss the problem. Probably a committee with wider representation would be established to work out a solution.

Under the Emergency Regulations, 1942, local authorities had power to require owners of potentially-dangerous buildings to strengthen them. However, in 1954 there was an amendment to the Municipal Corporations Act which, although it gave councils power to deal with dangerous buildings, did not cover potenti-ally-dangerous buildings.