Building Work In Levin Slackens

Chronicle (Levin), 8 December 1949, Page 4

Building Work In Levin Slackens

• •:T - n T . . A slackCning off ,: duririg the nionth in the constrUction: of new divellihgs were reported to the Levin Botoiigh Coiincil at its meeting on Monday night by the building inspector, Mr. H. T. Tiiyard. ' There . were also severaJ per'mit^ waiting to be collected, a circuiitistance which was ratber unusual for :these. times, he added. Eranjing' timber, continued Mr. Tiiyard, had been- very difficult to procure duririg the past six weeks and . thfs had .held up work on some dwellings. - . .Duririg the month three dwellings had . bfeeh completed and flve started, leal-ving the number unfinished at - T3. Several sheds, workshopa and alteration job's were iinder way also. ■In his report, the inspector said thgt permits issued during the riionth. for .dwellings numbered foUr, their value being £5762. Permits for alterations and additions totalled 17 to the Value of £1840. The total permits issued for the period from April 1 to November 30 was as foliows, the figures for the same period last year being shown in parentheses: Private dwellings 55 (79) , . value £97,401 (£134,347) ; alterations and. additions 121 (71), '.value £11,046 ,(£4600).; bther buildings 8' (7), value £4448 (£3017) ; alterations and additions to other buildings 14 (22) , value £4213 (£3355). Uncertainty The Cause. f , He considered that the siacken-! ing off iri - private housing constructiori was merely a sign of the times, corriiriented a local buiiding contractor today. There had beeri ari atmosphere of .uncertainty b'efore the election period and again immediately after wards. Certain building materials . which Were at present under coiitrol might, people; felt, be freed by the new" . Governrpent. Naturally, people wished to put the very beSt into their hdmes .gnd.to bring this abbttt riiariy. were patientiy mark^ ing* time'- just at the moment- 1 to see 'what, the future would bring. r In vijSw of this some contracts Were being held in abeyance., He also expressed the . view that builders were catching up on the local deriiarid for houses and that this demarid had now passed its peak. . it was. now time, he ad'dea, for .the opening up of many types of ? commercial building constructiori " which were being retarded by building coritrol., • Apart from these points, • howCver;: the' builder added that1 a slackehing off in private dwelling construction, ;work was ' always noticeable in«the mOnths of November, December . and January, and builders, allowed for it. " mmmmmmmmmrnmmmm rnrnmm mmm — >