A bid to demolish a cracked chimney at the Chelsea Sugar Refinery is being opposed on grounds that it is part of the Birkenhead site's high heritage value.
Seen from the Auckland Harbour Bridge, its faded blue concrete structure contrasts with the 1880s refinery's "Tuscany Red" colour scheme.
But heritage experts yesterday clashed over whether it was a hazard that would not be missed or a gem.
NZ Sugar says it wants a resource consent to remove it before pieces fall off or it totally collapses.
Auckland Council has not offered to help to pay to stabilise it.
A famous and original chimney from 1884 was knocked down in 1960 after being shortened for safety.
This also happened to the younger reinforced steel and concrete chimney. It lost 8m and its collar rim after painters found it was in a poor state.
Its topping in 2008 was followed by obsolescence: It was replaced by a shorter and slimmer all-steel flue for a now gas-powered boiler which provides the steam for the process of turning raw sugar into crystals.
Ms de Lambert said only 28.4m of the old chimney was left and its removal would not adversely affect the refinery's "style and character". There was still a boiler house chimney.
For the council, heritage architect Bryan Bennett said the refinery had a unique position in New Zealand industry and huge value to the region as a heritage landscape.
Loss of any of its collection of components, such as the chimney, would reduce that value.
He said NZ Sugar had insufficiently explored a wide range of ways to repair what was left of the chimney.
The company suggested its concrete chimney would cost up to $2 million to restore.
