TOWN HALL PLANS.

Northern Advocate, 6 August 1924, Page 4

TOWN HALL PLANS.

PROPERTY OF ARCHITECTS

Arising from the proposals regarding possible enlargement of the Whangarei Town Hall and municipal offices, application has been made for the plans on several occasions by the Borough Council to the architects who designed the buildings, Messrs Grierson ,and Aimer.

At Monday night's meeting of the Borough Council a clause of the agreement with the successful architect in the designs competition was submitted. It stated that the Council had then agreed that all plans, drawings, specifications and documents prepared by the architect should be his property, subject only to their being used in completing the work referred to. Cr L. J. Brake moved that the letter be received, but declared that it wsis very unfortunate that the Council was placed in such a position. Cr W. Lees explained "that under the Architects' Association regulations the plans did not belong to other thau the contractor during construction. The letter wns received. Cr E. G. W. Tibbits moved that application be made to the architects for copies of the plans and specifications of the hall.

Cr A. D. .Tack explained that', the plans were for competitive designs' and it had been thought at the time that the winning plans would be the property of the Council, but it had been found subsequently that it was not so. Crs A. T. Brainsby and Brake asked whether the plans or copies of them would be of any use to the Council, and Cr Lees stated that if alterations were to be considered it would be cheaper to have the plans than to make a resurvev of the building. The engineer, Mr J. D. Whitmore, said that the cost of securing copies would be cheaper than paying for ti survey of the building w]iich would be necessary before additions could be made, unless the original plans were to hand. No resolution regarding the matter was recorded.