Brian Rudman: At last, money to halt city's heritage ruin

Photo / Doug Sherring

This week, Auckland councillors put our money where the mayor's mouth has loudly been, and pledged some serious dollars towards protecting the city's built heritage.

They deserve our thanks. It's the sort of civilised gesture now possible in a super city of our size and, to their credit, our politicians have seized the moment, agreeing to invest an initial $10.3 million in a Built Heritage Protection Fund in the 2011/12 year, then $4.6 million in following years.

It's not a huge amount, and one could quibble about the halving of funds in the second and subsequent years. But it's large enough to start making a difference and, as councillor Sandra Coney, chairwoman of the Parks, Recreation and Heritage Forum, says, gives "a clear indication that the council is serious about heritage".

Ms Coney said "this fund will help us purchase buildings, restore them and then sell them to owners who will see their heritage as an asset".

Hopefully it will be used for other tasks as well. The council is custodian of plenty of built heritage that's been left to decay. Symonds St Cemetery, the last resting place of Auckland's pioneer settlers, is a good example.

But to most people, inside and outside the council, the obvious first priority is one or other - or both - of the two heritage fun palaces; the St James Theatre, across Queen St from the restored Civic Theatre, and its smaller contemporary, the Mercury Theatre, off Karangahape Rd.

Because of its parlous state, and the lack of alternative rescuers, the St James probably deserves first place in the queue.

The Mercury's present owner, the Equippers Church, has kept it in a good state of repair over the past 16 years and, while showing its age, it's not going to fall down unless we have an earthquake.

Of course, after Christchurch, some would argue that rushes the Mercury up the urgency list. Still, it does have outside suitors.

The most prominent is the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, which has a $20 million plan to convert it into a rehearsal venue. This would involve seismic strengthening and extending the stage out into the stalls, reducing seating there to around 100 with another 200 seats in the balcony.

The APO wants to split the costs three ways between the Auckland Council, private funders and Government agencies. Another group, Mercury Rising, is trying to raise $3 million to buy the place and use it as is, as a performing arts facility. Also sniffing around, apparently, are one or more wealthy arts lovers, tempted to add a grand theatre to their collection.

Of course the heritage fund would be a welcome funding source for any of these enterprises, but what then the fate of the poor St James? Since its closure by the Fire Service for safety reasons, it remains boarded up and friendless when it comes to anyone with serious money.

Even the Horwath HTL professional performing arts venue study, commissioned by the council recently to set priorities, decided it was not a high priority in venue needs.

Opera and dance lovers might beg to differ, but that's hardly the issue.

The St James is first and foremost a heritage rescue mission. In that context, the $10.3 million on offer in the first year could prove a very attractive bargaining chip in getting its rehabilitation started.

It's far from the $65 million-plus mentioned in the Horwath report as the cost of a full refurbishment - and that excludes the price of securing ownership of the building. But one suspects that with $10 million on the table, owner and property developer Paul Doole would be more than interested in discussing any mutually beneficial solution.

That sort of money would at least get the theatre on the way to full restoration, which has to be a good thing. The council also has the power to give developers bonus rights, in exchange for providing the public good items such as arts works, creches or additional green spaces.

Surely a developer who was to offer a heritage theatre to the city for, shall we say, nothing, might qualify for a gesture of equivalent generosity from a grateful citizenry.