HIGH COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19760, 10 April 1926, Page 13

HIGH COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE

VALUABLE SITE ACQUIRED, COST OF £157,500. (I'EOii Our Owk Corbesponokkt.) WELLINGTON, April 9. It has been generally recognised that the present building in which tho_ High Commissioner’s office is situated is unsatisfactory from the point of view of accommodation and storage room. Neither is the building in a sufficiently prominent position to impress the general public with the importance of this Dominion. The site is not a corner one. The adjoining premises are a theatre and a hotel. “The acquisition of a building which would from a locality and accommodation standpoint fulfil the requirements of the High Commissioner's office situated in a position where window displays of New Zealand produce, etc., would come prominently before the British public has therefore been kept in view, and I am pleased to state, - ’ says the Prime Minister, “that the negotiations for the purchase of such a building have now been concluded. The building purchased on behalf o! the Dominion is a prominent one, situated at the corner of the Strand and Agar street, a few hundred yards nearer Trafalgar square than the present site, and in close proximity to Charing Cross station. It isc a very substantial structure consisting of a basement and six storeys having a frontage to the Strand of approximate!? 50ft and a return frontage to Agar street of over 100 ft. The floor space is approximately 31,000 square feet, compared» with 23.500 square feet in our present building. It would, however, be possible to add further floor space to the new purchase with minor structural alterations. The building contains an imposing library accommodation covering an area of 2500 square feet, compared with 350 square feet in the present building. This would, of course, result in. greater accommodation and comfort for New Zealand visitors, and the many people interested in New Zealand who visit the High Commissioner’s office for information. The storage basement covers an area of 5900 square feet, compared with approximately 3500 square feet now available, and this extra accommodation will fill an urgent requirement of the High Commissioner s office. On the ground floor there are five large windows, in comparison with two in the present building, and these would enallow the display of New Zealand produce scenery, etc., in a much more efficient and prominent manner to the public than in the present building. At present there is & portion of the ground floor used as a kinema theatre, and it is proposed to utilise approximately 1000 square feet of this as a private kinema for the display of New Zealand films, an attractive and valuable form of advertisement for the , Dominion. The purchase price for the pronerty which includes the freehold of the land and building is £157,500. It is anticipated that there will be no difficulty m disposing of the lease of the present building at a price satisfactory to the Dominion, and the increasing value of property in London, which should still further advance on the completion of a jeheme tor widening the Strand, makes the acquisition of the new property a first-class investment for the Dominion. Briefly, the Dominion now has (11 an imposing corner site with five ground floor windows for advertising purposes and in a more suitable environment, (21 extra office accommodation with room for expansion over the present requirements; (31 a more suitable arrangement of rooms enabling the grouping of the different sections of the nigh Commissioner's staff, thus facilitating the work considerably; (41 addition to the storage room in the basement which was urgently required; (51 ft small kinema which will be of great value for advertising and propaganda purposes; (61 a large horary giving comfort and convenience to visitor* to the High Commissioner’s office; IB a freehold building of substantial structure well lighted and in excellent TOnduionThe property, being freehold and with a commanding position, improve m value as time goes on.” • “T feel confident. added Mr Coates, ‘‘that all who have a personal knowledge of the locality will agree that we have been able to secure at a comparatively low «« a very valuable freehold property splendidly situated in the centre of London, of wfcim in the vears to come New Zealanders may well be proud, and which will do credit to the importance of New Zealand as a progressive British dominion.