50 YEARS LEASE

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 201, 22 May 1931, Page 10

50 YEARS LEASE

Home for Free Ambulance

SITE SETTLED £20,000 Building Planned For some time past the Wellington Free Ambulance has been anxious to secure a lease from the City Council ot tlie premises now occupied—the old naval boatshed and city fish depot—in Jervois Quay for the purpose of a permanent home. This lias at length been secured. The announcement clinching the lease came to the Ambulance Board Yesterday in the following letter from the town clerk, Mr. E. P. Norman: — “I have to inform you that a letter has been received from the chairman ol tlie Wellington Fire Boat'd to the effect that the Fire Board does not require the boatshed site in connection with the proposed new central fire station site. The Wellington City Council has therefore resolved to grant a lease to your service of the land at present occupied for a period of 50 years at existing rental —viz., £56/17/6 per annum. The lease will be prepared by the city solicitor and will include a covenant providing for the termination of the lease if at any time the Wellington Free Ambulance ceases its operations. The council has received a letter from toe Star Boating Club to the effect that it has no objection to an alteration of the existing boundary between the premises occupied by it and the Free Ambulance station site to provide a better building alignment provided the building _ operations will not necessitate alterations to its clubhouse. It will be necessary to obtain legislation to enable a lease to be granted, and this will be done at your expense; the necessary survey and cost of adjustment and preparation of a new lease to your association will of course be at your expense.” It is the intention of the Free Ambulance Board to construct in_ reinforced concrete a three-storied building of the latest and most approved design, having in mind the necessity for earthquakeresisting safeguards. In order to get square on to Jervois Quay, the Ambulance Board proposes to sacrifice a triangular area on the south-west corner of its present site and take in a slightly larger area from the property at present occupied by the Star Boating Club’s yard and perhaps a portion of the build--111 At yesterday’s meeting the acting-chair-man, Mr. G. Mitchell, mentioned the proposal of the St. John Ambulance Association to come in as joint builders and controllers of the new premises. He stated that the board thought that it was not desirable that there should be any form of dual control, but if it were found possible to provide certain accommodation for the association that might be done. It was also possible that a greater area of the Land alongside might be secured if the St. John Ambulance wished to build independently. It was decided to write thanking the City Council for its consideration and assistance in securing the site, which was considered to be the best for the purpose in Wellington, as it was so central and provided a good “get-away.” It was mentioned at the inerting that the Free Ambulance has £22,000 in hand for the now building and its equipment.