Safe cracking part of demolition

A large safe in the middle of Masterton will be cracked open during a redevelopment in Perry St and Lincoln Rd.

The safe was most recently used by Masterton Assembly of God to store musical instruments but it could not be opened when the church moved.

The Perry St building that once housed Federated Farmers, is owned Trust Lands Masterton. It was demolished on Monday to make way for a car park which will service the new building on the site of the old Opera House.

Project manager David Hargood, of contractors Rigg Zschokke, said it would take about a day to tear down the building and weeks to clean up.

"The church left some musical instruments in there ... so we've got to get them out," he said.

"We haven't got any good safe crackers in Masterton."

Mr Hargood said the building was surplus to requirements and the land would be well used as a carpark. Although the 1970s building hadn't been formally assessed for earthquake proofing, it would have needed work. "It was beyond its use-by date," Mr Hargood said.