Building fees may rise

Press, 26 February 1980, Page 6

Building fees may rise

Building-permit fees in. Pa- | parua County will increase if a recommendation of the ? Paparua .. finance committee ; finds favour at the next | meeting of the full council. The county building in- < - (Mr T.. J. Bridges) } said thtjt. the estimated cost of running his department i for the .first 10 months of . this financial year $53,017. Only $22,475 had k been received in fees in that 1 time. The . department was | recdvering..ab°ut 42 per cent | of its costs. /i” “The problem is not pecu- ! liar to the Paparua County. The main' metropolitan local authorities are taking steps k to shift the burden of the deficit Yfrom the general . account, to. the user, Mr H? Bridges said. ’ i -If the council' adopted the B new scale ot. building fee! | ..

permits the council would recoup about 79 per cent of all building inspection costs, said Mr Bridges. If the council approved the new. scale of fees it would become effective from April 11 cr 12, said the County Clerk (Mr B. L. Mooar). The Paparua County Council might not go ahead with plans for eight pensioner cottages in Nicholls Road, Halswell. Mr Mooar told the finance committee that in May last year the council had decided to build the flats. However, the Government had said soon afterwards that the project might not get immediate approval as there were several emoty pensioner flats in the Christchurch area. ‘ The council had 36 people waiting for accommodation,;

said Mr Mooar. Twelve of the applications on the list were from married couples, some of whom had been waiting more than three years. The council was unable to offer accommodation to these at present. However, nine of'the married couples had declined double units in Waimairi County when spare accommodation in Torrens Road, Addington, was offered to the council last November, said Mr Mooar.' The council could expect to have empty single units in the future as there was virtually no waiting list of single applicants. The finance committee ap-j proved Mr Mooar’s recom-l mendation that the council) not build any more flats in! the meantime and that the) imatter be reviewed. , |