Caffe Roma invaded by squatters
Squatters have set up camp in central Christchurch’s earthquakedamaged Caffe Roma.
Once a popular meeting spot for lawyers and businessmen, the Oxford Tce building has seemingly been abandoned since it was damaged in the quakes.
Its derelict state is in sharp contrast with the new Deloitte building on the other side of the river and other new developments on Gloucester St.
Stuff accompanied police as they investigated squatting inside the building on Friday.
Entry was easy through a moveable fence and the door was unlocked.
Dust, debris and broken glass covered the once opulent red velvet stairway.
Upstairs, squatters had set up a single bed in a small room.
They had left fresh fruit, canned food, deodorant and perfume on the shelves.
The smelled of rot and faeces in the room stung the eyes.
In a bigger room, rubbish, torn out bedding, dirty clothes and empty beer and wine bottles littered the carpet.
Taggers had redecorated the windows and walls, inside and out.
Inside the cafe area downstairs, plates of what might have once been muffins and scones sat inside a chilly cabinet.
Mutated, dusty and grey, the treats had been there since February 22, 2011.
Police said they caught squatters a few times inside Caffe Roma and warned them not to come back, but did not have the resources ‘‘to stand outside every vacant building’’.
Other derelict buildings in the CBD were broken into and several squatters and vandals had been arrested since the quakes.
Sergeant Greg Hume, of the Christchurch central city safety team, said in some cases ‘‘landowners perhaps don’t care for the building themselves’’.
‘‘Auckland wouldn’t put up with this,’’ he said.
Caffe Roma owner Alberto Ceccarelli refused to answer questions about the state of the building.
He would only say no decisions had been made on whether the building would be retained or demolished.
Hume said it was difficult for police to prevent squatters from invading abandoned buildings in the CBD.
‘‘We’re not security guards,’’ he said.
‘‘They’ll come in late at night and leave at daybreak so they can pretty much come back every night.
‘‘The sooner the buildings come down, the better.’’
It was unsafe for anyone to stay in quake-damaged buildings, he said.
Christchurch City Council inspections and enforcement acting unit manager Tracey Weston said the council had received no complaints about Caffe Roma.
The council could issue a notice to any building assessed as being dangerous, earthquake-prone or insanitary, Weston said.
‘‘The most important aspect to consider is safety for any occupants and the public.’’
The council could put up a hoarding or fence to prevent people from approaching the building and require the property owner to remediate insanitary conditions or vermin infestation.
The council could also apply for a building consent to demolish a building, but only under strict conditions.
A Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority spokeswoman said privately owned buildings were the owners’ responsibility.