Heritage building gets a clean start

The former Yates Building, which sits between Link House and the Food Alley on the corner of Albert St and Wolfe St in Auckland's CBD. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Work has started on cleaning the graffiti-ridden Yates Building, which Auckland Mayor Len Brown has described as an eyesore.

The clean-up of the building in Albert St was to have started in early December but was delayed until the Christmas break so surrounding businesses would not be disrupted. Workers in cherry-pickers have started filling in the windows and the job is expected to take two weeks to complete.

The 99-year-old building has been vacant for more than a decade and its spruce-up is part of the mayor's campaign to wipe out graffiti.