Infracon building for sale

A building in the middle of Woodville that has been empty since a contracting firm’s collapse in 2015 is being prepare for sale.

The building, near Fish Spot takeaways on Vogel St, ended up in Tararua District Council hands after Infracon went into liquidation.

Woodville Districts’ Vision chairwoman Robin Winter said the community had long wanted something done with the building, and it was fantastic to finally see some progress.

‘‘It’s just been mouldering away for years, and it’s such a sad thing to have right in the middle of town.’’

Winter said the group had tried a few times to find a use, including a push to get the town’s museum, i-site and library put into a combined facility on the site, without success.

Tararua District Council development manager Peter Wimsett said the council had held the building in reserve because the site had a lot of economic potential.

‘‘We felt it could be of bigger benefit to the town in the hands of a private developer, than as a public building.

‘‘That’s the main reason it wasn’t chosen for the museum and i-site.’’

A new development on the site would create jobs and help boost Woodville’s economy, Wimsett said.

It was earthquake-safe and recently had a $65,000 refit, after thieves ripped the interior apart for copper in 2016.

Wimsett said the council was set to sell the building after the refit, but the closure of the Manawatu¯ Gorge road last year threw a spanner in the works.

Despite the council not actively marketing the site since then, there had recently been several ‘‘expressions of interest’’ – and one prospective buyer had approached the council about making an offer, although the proposal wasn’t a firm one yet, Wimsett said.