AUSTRALIAN BUILDING

Evening Star, Issue 23737, 19 November 1940, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN BUILDING

MELBOURNE'S RECORD FIGURES Building figures for Greater Melbourne for the year ended September 30, the first year of the war, amounted to £9,420,444, the highest since records have been kept by the Government Statist. ' These record figures do not include the immense amount of building work which has been carried out by the Commonwealth and State Government departments and the State Housing Commission (says the Melbourne ‘ Argus ’). The total value of building permits for the year ended September, 1929, was £7,518,274. In 1931 there was a big drop to £1,130,272. Prom then there has been a steady rise each year, and in the last three years the figures were: — 1938 £8,218,945 1939 £8,507,355 1940 £9,420,444 The erection of. dwellings contributes each year the largest amount to the total building figures! Permits for the erection of 5,151 dwellings were granted for the 12 months ended September 30 for a total of £6,008,707. These figures compare with the last three years as follows: Number. 1937 ... ... 4,137 £4,549,740 1938 5,037 £5,093,067 1939 5,005 £5,051,204 In addition to the amount for new dwellings, permits were granted for alterations and additions amounting to £448,321, making the total amount expended on dwellings for the year ended September

30' £6,457,028. This figure does not include 656 Housing Commission houses, valued at £383,000. Included in the number of dwellings shown for the past year were 397 blocks of flats containing 1,760 individual dwelling units. These, with new individual houses, have increased the number of dwelling units by 4,754 for the year. In compiling the figures for Hats, the Government Statist includes as separate dwellings each house in a brick “ pair ” or “ villa flats.” Flats are defined as other types of residences of two or more units which enjoy common use of the land on which the building stands—no unit having an exclusive street frontage. .... 4ii analysis of the figures for dwellings is made by the statist under the headings brick, brick veneer, and wood. It is interesting in this connection to note the steady increase in popularity of the brick veneer type. The figures for the three typos for the year ended September 30 were as follows: Brick 2,491 £4,001,287 Brick veneer 957 866,30 t! Timber ... 1,703 1,141.027 5,151 £6,008,707 Evidence of the development of Greater Melbourne as an industrial centre is seen in the building figures covering factories. For the year ended September 30 permits were "ranted for 123 new buildings valued at £504,915. To this must bo added £402 776 for alterations and additions, making a total of £907,691.