shopping street has been given the green light by planners.

Members of the Development Applications Board gave planning permission to Lines Overseas Management to go ahead and build its new headquarters on Reid Street.

The scheme will involve demolishing the building on the corner of Reid Street and Burnaby Street to make way for a four-storey complex -- with three floors of offices and a shop on the ground floor.

Lines Overseas Management managing director Scott Lines said: "We are looking to consolidate our operations in one building.

"This will mean demolishing the existing building on Reid Street and building a four storey office block.'' The existing building is owned by Holmes Williams and Purvey and is currently leased by the Bermuda Railway Company on the ground floor.

Currently a verbal agreement exists to sell the building to Lines Overseas Management and lawyers from both sides are working on written agreements.

However it is expected that the building will be completed towards mid-1999 and the whole deal, said Mr. Lines, will cost in the region of $8 million.

It is understood that at present the National Trust has no objections to the plan, although at least one objection to the scheme was lodged by a private citizen.

The DAB has given permission in principle only and it will have the final say on the building's design and outside appearance.

"We have an agreement to buy the site, but it's a verbal agreement and right now our lawyers are doing the final paperwork,'' added Mr. Lines.

"By the time the plans are done, the paperwork is completed and the construction is done, which will take about 70 weeks, it will be about mid-1999 when it is finished,'' he said.

Meanwhile the DAB deferred making a decision on a $800,000 project to refurbish a service station outside Hamilton.

The Shell Company of Bermuda had applied to completely refurbish its service station on Crow Lane, but a final decision has been put off until more information is known about parking.

The work is part of a rolling programme to upgrade all of Shell's service stations.

Stan Marshall, Shell's marketing manager, said the plan involved replacing the canopy to cover the entire station, replacing the storage tanks and generally bringing the centre up to modern environmental standards.

BUSINESS BUC