Work has begun tidying and repairing the long-neglected former Dominican Priory in Dunedin, as the Catholic Church makes another attempt to sell the historic building.
Scaffolding and a skip have arrived outside the priory for what Catholic Diocese of Dunedin general manager Gerald Scanlan said was ''a bit of a clean-up''.
The 138-year-old building has been for sale for more than 10 years.
It is said to be the largest unreinforced concrete building in the southern hemisphere, and was designed by Francis Petre, who also designed St Joseph's Cathedral next door and Cargill's Castle in St Clair.
It was seemingly sold to a North Island developer for an undisclosed sum after going to tender in 2005, but that deal fell through.
Asked about the work on the building yesterday, Mr Scanlan said: ''What we're doing is just cleaning up inside and also trying to get rid of some of the weeds and the rest from the outside of the building.''
The idea was to improve the overall appearance, and ''continue to attract interest in the development of the building''.
''The actual commercial basis will depend on the deal, but it's likely that the building will be sold, and probably the land as well, once we get a feasible option.
''This is really just about preliminary work to try and improve the chances of getting a feasible option.''
The work would also involve fixing broken tiles on the roof, which leaked.
Mr Scanlan said the market for the building was ''probably a pretty limited one''.
''I think the critical thing from our point of view is whatever eventual development happens, it is consistent with the heritage values of the building, and preserves it for the city much more so than for the church.
''I don't think there's going to be a church use in the future.''
Mr Scanlan said the diocese had been working with Dunedin City Council heritage policy planner Dr Glen Hazelton, who yesterday said the council had ''a long-running concern'' over the future of the building.
There had been regular meetings recently to see what could help preserve the building and make it ''more interesting to external parties''.
The council could help with the advice on the resource consent process, accessing the city's heritage fund, and zoning issues.
The building was in a residential zone.
Asked about possible outcomes for the building, Dr Hazelton said a boutique hotel or accommodation were uses that had been ''floated a lot over time''.
''The good thing about the building is it's a relatively blank canvas to deal with.
''Hopefully, people will see the activity and get excited by it.''
