Naylor Love site manager Matt Turnbull in the auditorium of the Wellington Town Hall. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Naylor Love site manager Matt Turnbull in the auditorium of the Wellington Town Hall. Photo / Mark Mitchell
OPINION:
Wellington City Council is too far down the rabbit hole to call time on the Town Hall earthquake-strengthening project.
But the building's latest budget blowout is a frightening preview of what ratepayers could fork out to save Te Ngākau Civic Square, which is littered with earthquake-prone buildings and vulnerableto rising sea levels.
The Town Hall project will now cost an extra $37.1 million to complete, bringing the total bill to $182.4m.
Over the course of almost a decade, its budget has grown from $43m, to $60m, to $90m, to $145m, to $182m.
This would be somewhat more palatable if it was just the one building, but it's not.
By committing to the Town Hall, the council is also committing to doing something about other buildings in Civic Square deemed earthquake risks to varying degrees.
Wellington's Civic Square. Photo / Mark Mitchell
They are the central library, the Municipal Office Building (MOB) and the Civic Administration Building (CAB).
They need to be addressed because otherwise the council would be re-opening the Town Hall against a backdrop of closed buildings.
The central library is set to cost just as much as the Town Hall to fix and, from experience, it would be a miracle if it actually came in on budget.
Although thankfully the library will not be an undertaking of the same extent as it only opened in 1991 as opposed to the Town Hall, which is almost 120 years old.
So, it comes as somewhat of a relief the council has decided to demolish both MOB and CAB.
This is after strengthening costs for MOB blew out to $84m, which is about double the original estimate.
The view was that strengthening the building was no longer economically viable.
The council pocketed a $38m payout for CAB after a four-year wrangle with insurers.
The auditorium of the Wellington Town Hall, which is three years into reconstruction. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The building suffered structural damage in the 7.8-magnitude Kaikōura earthquake, which was sufficient for it to be evacuated because of health and safety concerns for anyone entering it.
It's expected resource consents for both buildings will be lodged in the coming months and if approved, they will be demolished one at a time. This process could be made difficult by the fact both buildings are part of the Civic Centre Heritage Area.
But if successful, the council could then undertake a market process to see whether developers would be keen to take on the vacant lots.
Any land would be provided through a long-term lease from the council.
As the council's Te Ngākau Civic Precinct Framework report outlines, some 70 hectares of land was reclaimed from the harbour in Wellington by the end of 1870.
Civic Square as it is known today is located on some of this reclaimed land, after previously being right on the water's edge.
It means the area is vulnerable to liquefaction and ground shaking in earthquakes.
The precinct is already experiencing issues with flooding and the inundation of basement levels. This affects things like car parks and servicing requirements of other buildings such as the City Gallery.
Wellington's Town Hall. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The framework report said these issues are likely to be exacerbated due to climate change and rising sea levels.
Despite this, city councillors continue with their commitment to the square being the musical, creative and democratic heart of Wellington.
More recently they agreed to house council staff on levels three and four of the library building, which is expected to open in 2026.
It's acknowledged the Town Hall is the most complex construction project in New Zealand at this time.
It is also fair to say that when the Town Hall first closed the council could not have specifically foreseen the Kaikōura earthquake or a pandemic like Covid-19.
But general seismic and climate change issues have been known for some time.
The Town Hall is an example of the cost escalation that can come with saving Category 1 heritage-listed buildings, particularly in an area with so many resilience issues.
The city must accept we cannot save every building that has heritage value at any cost. The fate of the MOB and CAB buildings shows at least some recognition of this going forward.
On a more personal note, and since the city is already so far down the path with Civic Square, I really hope the council decides to get rid of the artificial turf there.
It has become an eyesore and I think the original paving is far more attractive.
