Cr David Benson-Pope said he was surprised and disappointed the council yesterday granted consent for the demolition of buildings at 380, 382 and 386 Princes St and 11 Stafford St, as well as the protected heritage facades of 380, 386 and 392 Princes St.
This ends a 15-year battle to save the group of derelict buildings, with the council accepting most are too dangerous to save.
Cr Benson-Pope said the decision highlighted the need to take more action against demolition by neglect.
"The loss of those facades is a significant loss to the city, and is one of many examples where we’ve had bad outcomes.
"We need a bylaw to give ourselves more teeth."
The wider damage to the streetscape could not be ignored, and now the issue would be more visible, he said.
The buildings’ latest owner — who bought them in March 2021 — will now retain the building and its protected facade at 372-378 Princes St, which is in better condition.
Council advisory services team leader Mark Mawdsley said the outcome was a loss for heritage in the city, but the buildings were already collapsing and were now too dangerous to save.
"We’ve put a lot of time and effort into trying to find ways to save these buildings’ historic facades.
"Sadly, the rate of collapse means we are forced to acknowledge these facades are no longer salvageable."
Saving 372-378 Princes St, which had been among those approved for demolition when an earlier consent was granted to a previous owner, was a win.
"There was a real risk we could lose all four heritage buildings, through demolition or structural failure."
Retaining the whole of 372-378 Princes St, as opposed to just its facade was a preferable heritage outcome.
"It will ensure at least one of these important Princes St heritage buildings is protected for future generations."
The plans for demolition had been discussed with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, which was responsible for issuing an archaeological authority.
Historic bread ovens at the rear of 392 Princes St would be retained.
"The loss of these historic buildings is regrettable ... but the focus will now shift to working with the owner to support a new development that is sympathetic to the historic streetscape," Mr Mawdsley said
The consent also required construction of replacement buildings to begin within two years of demolition being completed.
If that could not be achieved, a public pocket park would be constructed on the site until redevelopment begins.
