More State houses thanks to scheme

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33656, 4 October 1974, Page 9

More State houses thanks to scheme

The number of State houses built in Christchurch this year will be at least double that of last year, thanks to the Government’s design-and-build scheme.

The Minister of Housing (Mr Douglas) said that at least 212 houses would be built in Christchurch under the scheme this year by private contractors using their own designs. The new scheme augments the traditional method of the Ministry of Works and Development’s calling tenders for houses it has designed. The Government’s initiative in the design-and-build scheme was to counteract the loss of interest private builders had in tendering for Ministry houses. In 1972. builders erected only 700 State houses in New Zealand. The scheme was introduced this year to speed up the rate of State-house construction. The Government enterec into direct negotiations with builders instead of working through the housing division of the Ministry of Works Mr Douglas plans to extent the scheme to incorporate building for first-home buvers. Contracts have been le' for about 600 of the new State houses. This is ex pected to increase to more than 120 U by next March. About 850 houses wril have been completed bi then. One radical departure

gfrom the old State house is t tiie provision of a carport under the same roof as the e house. r