Heritage campaigners lose demolition battle

The Environment Court ruling to allow the bulldozing of the historic houses in Auckland’s seaside St Heliers village meant one battle had been lost but not the war, businessman and NBR publisher Barry Colman said yesterday.

Mr Colman – who has funded the court battle to save the Turua Street buildings – said the planned aparment and retail project still had to be built and tenanted in the face of overwhelming ill will in the community.

“The wanton vandalism in bulldozing a whole street of old buildings is just plain wrong. People are asking: How could this happen with all the safeguards that are meant to be in the planning legislation?” Mr Colman said.

He said with the end of the last ditch legal challenge there was now a “legal calm” in which the developers could stand back and ask themselves: Was the development really worth it in light of the fierce resistance by hundreds of locals that would be expected to shop or live there?
“We are still at the tipping point. The developers are a successful business couple. They have the opportunity to re-think the project and come to some compromise with the community.

“They would recognise their plan is just too audacious – too outrageous to pull off in 2011.

“New Zealand cities have moved on since the 1980s when the wrecker’s ball held sway.”

The new building was to be a three-story concrete and glass affair running the length of the street and ruining the character of St Heliers.
The Spanish colonial art deco homes and two other wooden 1890s homes would all be lost,  Mr Colman said.

The application for an injunction which managed to stave off the bulldozers last Thursday – after they had half wrecked the rear of one of the buildings – was brought by the Save Our St Heliers Society Inc and financed by Mr Colman.

Releasing his decision to allow the demolition to go ahead, Judge Laurie Newhook sympathised with those trying to save the houses but “sadly” could not find that the demolition would have an adverse effect on the St Heliers environment – which he had earlier described as a 19th century model seaside suburb.
The relieved site developer, Mike Markham – who had delayed onsite work for a month to allow further heritage assessment – told NBR the challenge had cost “an awful lot of money.” He was glad it was now over and work could proceed.

“We were right all along,” Mr Markham said.