BUILDING PROJECT BLOCKED

Evening Star, Issue 24006, 3 October 1941, Page 7

BUILDING PROJECT BLOCKED

CONTROLLER REFUSES PERMIT MATERIALS ALL AVAILABLE Although many new buildings, have been authorised for tho North Island, a permit has been refused for the erection of a £90,000 block in Princes street for the T. and G. Mutual Hfe Assurance Society, The reason given by the Building Controller is that "a permit “ cannot be issued while present conditions pertain jug to, the supply of labour and materials still exist.” it, is=,claiwed that-..the materials for the construction of this building, with the exception of the lift, are actually in New Zealand, and are avail- , able for the building as soon as the license is issued. The proposed block; is to be an imposing structure of four stories, with a ' superstructure as high again from the street _ It will have a frontage of 114 ft to Princes street and 89ft to Jetty street. The mayor (Mr. A. H. Allen) has taken .the matter up and written a , series-of letters to the controller, without satisfactory result as yet. Plans for the new building wet® completed well over a year ago, and tenants were •given six months’ notice to leave on August 22, 1940. Excerpts from the mayor’s latest letter to the Building Controller, written on August 7, and so far unanswered, are as follows “The building has been vacant for months, and it is not right that in the middle of a city of such standing as , Dunedin a large building -with offices and shops vacated should continue to stand like a derelict and thus give a false impression a s to the demand for office and shop accommodation in our city. There is definitely a great need for the rebuilding of a large portion of Dunedin, and here is an opportunity for a favourable lead. Dunedin must advance in keeping with other parts of the Dominion, and your decision to withhold the granting of a license for this building is definitely retarding that progress. “ I feel, therefore, that as the owners are willing to spend approximately £90,000 in the erection of a new building, and as this will remove the blot at present Imposed upon our city, a license .. should now be issued enabling the contractors to proceed with the erection of the new building. . “ All the materials required aro here in New Zealand, with the exception of the lifts, which can wait until a more opportune time. This important work 'rill bo invaluable to traders and era. ployees dependent upon the ’ building trade, and the demolition work in particular will absorb a number now employed under No. 13 scheme. m your de P?riTOent still classifies the T and G. building as non-essential, may I point out that it is certainly a more essential work than others I can name in the North Island for which licenses have beep granted? An examination of office accommodation in Dunedin will definitely disclose that for some considerable time there has been a shortage of modern office accommodation, and it would now be a calamity for Dunedin to turn down proposals which come from Australian directors who examined the requirements of this city before they came to the decision to spend approximately £90,000 on a new building. I