Art deco houses set for demolition

Protesters outside the houses in December. Photo / Greg Bowker

Three art-deco houses which heritage advocates are desperately trying to save will be demolished within days.

Last week members of the Save Our St Heliers group met the council in a last-ditch attempt to save the Spanish Mission-style houses on Turua Street in the seaside suburb of St Heliers.

But their efforts were in vain, and Mayor Len Brown said he regretted the council had apparently not been able to find an affordable way to save the houses despite weeks of hard work and negotiations between the council, the developer and local residents.

About 15 protesters from Save Our St Heliers remain on the street and spokeswoman Dorothy McHattie said they were meeting with a lawyer to see if there was any way they could have halt the demolition.

But developer Mike Markham told NZPA no further discussions would take place and the houses would be knocked down.

He said the houses were uninhabitable and disagreed with the protesters' argument that the new development would damage the character of St Heliers.

"Obviously I have a different view, I think it will be enhanced and, let's face it, a lot of other people do too."

The three-storey development will create space for retail businesses on the ground floor, with a medical practice and offices on the first floor and apartments on the top.

Randal Owles, manager of Ward Demolition, which has been given the contract to knock down the houses, said the demolition could begin as early as Friday but would probably happen on Monday.

- NZPA