The chocolate manufacturer is partway through a two-stage project to redevelop its Dairy Building, on the Castle St side of the complex, after a decade in which the dilapidated building has been used only for storage.
The project will involve earthquake strengthening and restoration of the Dairy Building, including the return of heritage features stripped from the building during work in the 1950s.
The latest redevelopment, which had already begun, aimed to return the building to a design based on the 1930s Cadbury Fry Hudson era, a resource consent application said.
The Dairy Building was then the headquarters of the Cadbury business and Castle St its main entrance, the application said.
The latest work would include lowering the height of the parapet and reinstating an entrance canopy that extended over the footpath.
New and restored windows and doors would also be in keeping with the 1930s design, as would plasterwork detailing to be reintroduced, it said.
The three-month project would re-introduce "significant" architectural, aesthetic and heritage features on the building and boost the heritage precinct in the area around Anzac Square, it said.
It could also pave the way for a future expansion of Cadbury World, which was being investigated as part of stage two of the project. The non-notified consent application was considered by the Dunedin City Council and granted, with conditions, on December 16.
Council urban designer Peter Christos supported the proposal, saying it "must be regarded as positive" and would deliver "significant positive effects" for the city’s heritage and tourism sectors.
That included adding to the "growing focus" on the heritage precinct, which was also home to the Railway Station, Toitu Otago Settlers Museum, Dunedin Prison and Dunedin Courthouse, he said.
The Otago Daily Times reported last year Cadbury was also removing asbestos from the building’s roof.
A spokeswoman for Cadbury’s parent company, Mondelez International, said when contacted yesterday, the company recognised the heritage significance of the building, parts of which dated back more than 150 years.
The company was investing $1.4 million in stage one of the project, including "essential" roof work to protect it from the weather, and repairing and replacing "critical" elements of the building.
"While the dairy is currently empty and hasn’t been used since the mid-2000s, it’s important to preserve the building so that we can maintain it for a range of potential uses in the future," the spokeswoman said.
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It would also be very nice if Cadburys could also redevelop their chocolate back to what it was and tasted years ago.
Hehe, you can't have everything ;)
Yes you can. I want my chocolate and eat it too!