BUILDING PERMITS

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32629, 10 June 1971, Page 5

BUILDING PERMITS

Large rise in May

The Christchurch City Council issued 344 building permits in May for construction to a total value of $1,846,427. This was almost double the value of construction authorised in May of last year, when 308 permits were issued for building worth $943,613.

Even allowing for higher building costs, the value of permits issued shows increased activity in every sector of construction. Much the largest increase is in alterations to buildings other than flats and private dwellings, where the value has risen from $75,676 last May to $535,865 last month.

Further details for May, 1971 (with May, 1970, figures in parenthesis) are as' follows:

Private dwellings.—New construction: permits 46 (38), value $415,121 ($315,629). Alterations: permits 224 (210), value $137,777 ($99,228). Flats.—New construction: permits 26 (22), units 74 (67), value $480,064 ($348,600). ' Other buildings.—New construction: permits 7 (5), value $276,100 ($96,980). Notwithstanding the above increases, the combined figures for May and April, 1971, are well behind the figures for the same period last year, the total values being respectively $3,159,470 and $6,448,050. The difference was due to permits for new construction in the central city last year, to the value of $3,687,727.