An oversight during the construction of a new hurricane-proof pre-fabricated accommodation block for the Bermuda Biological Station for Research at St. George's has left the 21-unit building with official allocation for only one resident to have a car.

The mix-up is now to be straightened out with the BBSR applying for a partial change of use of the staff accommodation to make 12 of the units residential in status.

Making the change will allow for permission for car assessments to be given for those 12 units.

There is no actual change in the purpose of the three-floor accommodation block, which is now 98 percent completed. It has been constructed to provide lower cost staff housing for the sea science institution at Ferry Reach.

Explaining what had happened Jay Saadian, BBSR treasurer and chief financial officer, said: "The planning application was filled in incorrectly. Instead of stating 21 dwelling units the builder wrote in 'staff housing' and for short-term residents so as a result we have only been given one assessment place."

However, each of the 21 units, of which there are six studios, six one-bedroom apartments and nine two-bedroom apartments, is self-contained with its own metered utilities such as water and electricity.

In order to correct the error the BBSR, which only became aware of what had happened about two months ago, has put in a planning application for a partial change the use of the staff accommodation to allow 12 of the units to be reclassified as residential dwelling units so they can have a car assessment allowance.

The accommodation block will be used by longer-term staff and employees at the BBSR, many of whom are Bermudian.

Construction of the new block on the grounds of the research station has cost only $150 per square feet and the building has been put up swiftly with pre-fabricated sections being shipped across in packs from Canada onboard container ships.

The building is steel framed and is of a type that has been tested to show it can withstand hurricane winds.

Completion of the project is on hold because of a delay in the issuing of a work permit for the Canadian expert needed to finish the work.