BUILDING OPERATIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19764, 15 April 1926, Page 10

BUILDING OPERATIONS.

ANOTHER BUSY YEAR. INTERESTING FIGURES. Since the commencement of big building works such as th* Exhibition pavilions, the Dental School, and the Medical School, the amount of building in Dunedin hits dropped considerably. In the year April, 1924, to March, 1925, permits were granted for work estimated to cost £752,675, while for the year ended on March 31 last the permits totalled £525,121, a drop of £227,552. Though the amount showed such an appreciable drop, the number of buildings erected was only two below the total for 1924-25 while additions increased by 27 The highest cost building job for which a permit had been granted last year was for the Karitano Hospital on the Highcliff road, the amount being £14,500. Work Costing well over £IO,OOO at the Exhibition was also authorised. The third big contract was for the erection of a new Tabernacle “fot the Church of Christ at the corner of St Andrew’s and Filleul streets, the contract price of the building being £9OOO. The erection of the new enuch is well under way. Recently, a permit was granted for the construction of a block of shops and offices in Rattray street at a cost of £4l2b. Although the big expediture had been made on Exhibition buildings during the preceding year, permits for work costing over £IO,OOO were granted by the corporation. The erection of a new school and a room in Rutherford street by the FVee Kindergarten Association added £3200 to the figures for the year. The biggest addition work for which a permit bad been granted was on behalf of a furni-ture-making firm, the cost exceeding £3OOO, while additions to city garage totalled nearly that sum. The corporation’s proposal to erect workers’ dwellings in ,Parkside avenue and Halsey street took form last month, when permits for work estimated to cost over £BOOO were granted. The erection of a new tea pavilion at Opoho and additions by the corporation will result in over £IBOO being spent, while the additions to the sub-station on the Taieri road will cost over £I2OO. The erection of two expensive residences was authorised, the homes of the bungalow type to cost £4OOO each In the previous year the list included: The Dental School, the Medical School, the Exhibition buildings and the Art Gallery, the war memorial, a warehouse, additions to nurses’ home, Cqlumba College hall, offices, additions to Little Sisters of the Poor Home (costing over £10,000), additions to a factory, new factory and offices, and one retail shop made additions valued at £20,000. They were all big contracts and were responsible for the figures being so high for the year 1924-26. Three hundred and forty-nine permits for the erection of new buildings, both residential and business, were passed during the year, as against 351 for the preceding year. There was a considerable decline in the number of brick buildings erected or proposed to be constructed, only 50 as against 76 being entered in the corporation’s books. The use of wood and composite is on the increase, the statistics show, 20 more buildings being _ erected. Although a start was made in the 192425 year to make additions to premises in expectation of the Exhibition rush, last year was an even busier one in this branch of building. In all 618 jobs were carried out, an increase of 27 permits. In new buildings the district which has made most headway is Anderson’s Hay, 92 constructions being authorised. This represents an increase of 12 over the preceding year’s total. In North-East Valley 47 new buildings were made, an increase of 14. In the south there was considerable briskness, the previous year’s total of 82 showing only one less this past season. Little building was done in the central ward, only 10, as against 16, new rtructures going up. Increased building on Maori Hill is noticeable, 17 new residences and business places being erected, an increase of 11. Mornington shows a drop of 18 and Roslyn 13 below 1924-25 figures. The following table shows the amount of building in the various wards under the control of the City Corporation, the additions in each year being given in the second column: 1923. 1926. North-East Valiev .. 33 51 47 58 Leith 42 136 41 142 Central 16 69 10 95 South 82 139 81 132 Roslyn 46 76 33 73 Mornington .. .. 46 52 28 51 Maori Hill .. .. 6 25 17 26 Anderson’s Bay .. 80 43 92 41 Totals 351 691 349 618 In the following table the material used jn the construction of new buildings is shown, and the new work' and additions are comprised in the figures for work on domestic and business buildings:— 1925. 1926. Brick .... 76 50 Wood .. .. 279 299 Business .. .. 179 181 Domestic .. .. 763 786