PCC Puts Titahi Bay Community Hall Demolition Application on Hold

Porirua City Council, as applicant, has asked its Resource Consents team that its application for a resource consent to demolish the Titahi Bay Community Hall, be put on hold pending a review of the costs to repair the building.

In 2011, Porirua City Council’s Building Compliance Manager advised the Council that the Titahi Bay Community Hall was unsafe for occupation and may present a risk to the public and issued a Dangerous and Insanitary Notice on the building. The extent of the decay in the building was supported by independent structural engineers brought in to examine the issues raised and advised the tenant be removed immediately and the building secured so it was not a risk to public safety.

The Council then sought an estimate from two separate quantity surveyors on the cost to bring the building back to its original condition or to rebuild the hall. Their advice was that the cost of repair would be between $700,000 – $800,000 and the cost to rebuild a community hall on the site would be approximately $1 million.

This was considered to be too expensive and an application to demolish the building was lodged with the Resource Consents team at the Council in March 2013.

In processing the application, the Council’s resource consents team sought independent advice from a planning consultant and a heritage architect, who advised that the high heritage significance of the building, together with its rarity, meant that its demolition could not be supported.

As a result, the Council’s Property Management team is reconsidering the costs of repairing the building in order to uplift the Dangerous and Insanitary Notice. The application to demolish the building will be put on hold while the extent and costs of the remedial work at the community hall are reviewed. This information is expected to be ready by the end of the month.

By putting the application on hold, the Council and submitters will avoid additional costs associated with the application process, while the review is underway.
The Council will consider whether or not to proceed with its resource consent application once the review is concluded.

ENDS

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