PLANS FOR BUILDING

Press, Volume C, Issue 29536, 10 June 1961, Page 9

PLANS FOR BUILDING

Horticultural Society The Canterbury Horticultural Society has decided to erect a building comprising a hall, a garden club room and offices. An architect has been authorised to prepare plans and call for tenders. The estimated cost is about £45,000. Two building projects have previously been abandoned. Originally a large building, comprising a hall, garden club room and offices for letting was planned, but it was finally estimated that the cost would be about £315.000. After amendments had been made to reduce the cost to £250.000. it was decided that the expenditure was beyond the means of the society, and plans were prepared for a smaller building with reduced space for letting. The cost of this building was estimated at £130.000, but it was not found possible to arrange a loan to bridge the gap between the society’s funds and the amount required. Finally it was decided to abandon the project, and to proceed with the present plans. The construction of the new .building will permit extensions in later years should funds permit. Finance In spite of substantial concessions made by architects and quantity surveyors, the plans for the first two projects incurred costs of £6599. The annual accounts provided for writing off this amount, said the annual report of the society. The excess of income oyer expenditure in the building account for the last year was £2312 19s 7d. more than £3OO higher than in 1960 Donations amounted to £1644. Funds available for the erection of the building amounted to £59.194 after valuing investments at £50.000. The society’s general account for the year showed a deficit of £278 13s lOd mainly because of a drop of £333 in subscriptions.