Hastings: Heretaunga House demolition leaves future of the site unclear

Heretaunga House in Hastings has been found to be an earthquake risk. Photo / Warren Buckland

A question mark hangs over what will happen to a prime site in the heart of Hastings after the council pulls down its three-storey Heretaunga House.

Hastings District Council decided last week to demolish the large building on the corner of Lyndon Rd and Warren St rather than pay up to $24 million to restore it, after it was found to be earthquake-prone.

A date has yet to be set for when it will be torn down but it is unlikely to happen this year.

A temporary car park will then be installed on the site while other options are investigated.

A council spokeswoman said it had not decided on whether it would call on the public to offer up ideas for the development site.

"Council is yet to come up with the process for identifying redevelopment opportunities other than to seek some urban design advice in the first instance."

The large building was home to council staff and other tenanted offices up until June 2020 when an engineer's report showed it was unsafe and it was vacated.

The three-storey building was purchased by the council in 2009 for about $4.85 million and it is one of the biggest buildings in the Hastings CBD.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said "it's a potential showcase for our CBD revitalisation" following the decision to pull it down.