The Corporation of Hamilton is to ask Government to "list" four buildings in the capital because of their special architectural, historical or cultural significance.

The municipality wants Victoria Park bandstand, Par-la-Ville library and Perot Post Office to be given the highest level of listing, which is Grade I, and for 50-year-old City Hall to get Grade II status.

The listings would mean the buildings could not be demolished, extended or altered without special permission from the Department of Planning.

Alderman John Harvey suggested at a Corporation meeting last Wednesday that the Bird Cage on Front Street also ought to be listed.

"If we have now got four listed, could the Bird Cage be five?" he said. "It's known worldwide. Wherever you go, the Bird Cage means something. It has historic value."

Alderman Pamela Ferreira, chairman of the development committee, said she would do her best to bring the matter before the committee for discussion.

Mr. Harvey asked whether the Grade II listing of City Hall could affect its possible development in the future, such as an extension to provide more space.

Mrs. Ferreira replied: "When you have a Grade II, more stringent regulations apply that I would recommend: that we be more careful of how we build onto this building."

Corporation chief operating officer Ed Benevides told the meeting that the Ministry of the Environment had undertaken a review of the buildings in the city and had asked the municipality to participate.

"They have done a complete relisting of all the various buildings and grades," he said, explaining that Government was in favour of listing the four buildings and could do so without the approval of City Hall.

Mayor Charles Gosling said that since the Corporation owned the buildings, it should make a formal request for listing. "Once again we lead from the front, rather than the rear," he said.

The same meeting heard that ground would be broken on a new five-star St. Regis hotel at Par-la-Ville between July and December this year.

But a plan to develop Cavendish car park has been shelved for financial reasons. Mrs. Ferreira told members that a feasibility study concluded the car park could "attain its highest and best use if developed to a mixed property with an underground car park with a minimum capacity of about 300 vehicles and 60 motorcycles and a multi-family housing component with at least 50 units".

But she said: "We are really not moving ahead with Cavendish; because of the budget we are putting it on hold."

City engineer Patrick Cooper told the meeting that work on the municipality's new depot at Laffan Street was progressing. "In the next month, we should see quite a bit of progress down there on the site," he said.