Council faces huge cost

HUTT NEWS

Hutt City Council could face a bill well in excess of $44 million to replace its heritage-listed but earthquake-prone headquarters in Laings Rd.

Consultants last week outlined the situation in a briefing to councillors.

Five options were presented, ranging from making the building 40 per cent compliant with earthquake standards through to demolition and a complete rebuild on the current site.

The most likely option appears to involve council officers moving out for two years to allow the building to be strengthened. That would involve making the building 100 per cent compliant with current standards.

If the council were to take that option and at the same time upgrade the Town Hall, Horticultural Hall and clock tower, that would cost in excess of $20 million.

Consultants warned, however, that the figure is only an estimate and the true cost could be much more.
The timeframe to complete the project is 2017/18 and there is currently $24 million budgeted.

The cost of constructing a new administration building only is estimated at $22.9 million, with a rebuild of all the council buildings put at $44 million-plus.

What to do is complicated by a number of factors.

The council recently adopted Making Places, a blueprint for the central business district which proposes a new council administration block in the central city and leasing the existing building, possibly to a hotel operator.

Consultants said the idea faces major difficulties.

The building is listed in the District Plan as having heritage value and its use is as a council building. Leasing to a hotel operator would involve a change of use and resource consent would be required. Because of its heritage status, there is no guarantee that a hotel operator would gain consent.

As the council is the existing user of the building, it can legally get away with only making the building 40 per cent earthquake standard compliant.

But if the use is changed, the council, or the entity leasing or buying the building would have to make it 100 per cent compliant.

Neil Kemp of Stapleton Architects told councillors the civic buildings were amongst the best examples of 1950s architecture in New Zealand.

''All of these buildings are nationally significant examples of modern movement architecture,'' he said.

It was ''more likely than unlikely'' that the New Zealand Historic Places Trust would register the buildings.

The council has an obligation to set a good example when it comes to heritage buildings, he said.

''What will your credibility be if you don't treat these buildings with respect?'' Council general manager Kim Kelly said the council could not expect the owners of heritage buildings in the Hutt to upgrade their buildings if the council did not follow its own rules.

''We have sent ourselves a letter saying if we do not earthquake proof this building we will prosecute ourselves.''

Councillor Ray Wallace said the council clearly had little choice but to upgrade the buildings.

''We are in a public building and we run the risk that the sky will fall in if there is a moderate earthquake.''

The building is currently only 15 per cent compliant.

Mayor David Ogden said he could not see the council agreeing to a new building.

Earlier in the meeting, he reminded councillors there was the possibility of major change in the structure of local government in Wellington that could change the need for the building. Any decision would have to take that into account, although he predicted there would always be a council presence, even it was only to collect dog licensing fees.