Mayor welcomes news derelict buildings are to be demolished
Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy says he is pleased that derelict buildings in the central city are to be demolished.
Stuff recently highlighted the state of the buildings, which locals said were giving the city a bad name.
As well as a musty smell, the buildings were leaking and featured dead pigeons and rotting curtains.
Guppy said the building’s owner had been served a “notice to rectify” and he understood there were plans to demolish the buildings.
Ganson Group property manager Andy Bell said the buildings were overdue for demolition, and contractors had been lined up to do the work and demolition should begin soon.
Yesterday Bell said Guppy was “intimately aware of the exciting development plans we have proposed to council ... and (the) council’s response” which Bell said, necessitated the demolition of the buildings.
Upper Hutt was undergoing significant economic growth and Guppy believed there was plenty of potential for growth in the central city, once the derelict buildings were demolished.
Upper Hutt’s population is growing rapidly and there have been a number of successful recent developments like Brewtown
and the sports campus, which bring people to city.
The state of the shops was a regular subject of discussion on social media, with locals urging the council to force the owner to demolish the buildings.
Amongst those who posted recently was the council’s former economic development manager, Phil Gorman.
He said it was an “embarrassment” to have the issue featured in national media and the buildings were overdue for demolition.
Gorman, who now manages Brewtown, told The Post that when he worked for the council he saw a number of plans for the buildings but nothing happened.
Locals were frustrated because they wanted to support local businesses and see the central business area thrive.
“I have always lived in Upper Hutt and I do not want to do my shopping in Lower Hutt.”
Gorman said one of the options that could be explored was apartments. Having people living in the central city would help local retailers and make for a lively atmosphere. Guppy agreed that apartments had merit and said there was nothing stopping such developments going ahead.
The city council did not respond to questions about the design of the future development and how many complaints it had received.
Director of planning and regulatory services, Helen Hamilton said “the building at 141-145 Main St, Upper Hutt is the subject of ongoing enforcement action” and it would be inappropriate to comment further.