All that is left of the old Southern Sports Bar and Grill building in Princes St is a facade after the rest of the building was demolished to make way for an new building.
The site is owned by the Ian McKinley who also owns the nearby New New New brewery which is based in the 141-year-old Crawford St stables.
Earlier this month the Dunedin City Council granted a resource consent to allow for the retrospective demolition of the older building and the construction of a new building.
While the former building was not a listed heritage building, it was within the Princes St heritage precinct, which meant it had a degree of protection under the council’s district plan.
Mr McKinley said the new three-storey building would incorporate the facade and include an expansion to the brewery and hotel-style accommodation.
About $1 million had been spent making sure the new building and the facade was in keeping with the surrounding heritage area.
"If we had known when we started what we know now, we would have done things differently.’’
It was planned the new building would retain original foundations and walls, but once construction started it was found that was impossible, he said.
"Keeping the facade has been a huge task but we’ve done it because we’re committed to the heritage of the area.’’
Mr McKinley said he was disappointed by comments made by council heritage planner Dan Windwood when assessing the proposal. In his report Mr Windwood said the replacing the former building with a replica significantly reduced the authenticity and integrity of the heritage area. He questioned the reason for the demolition saying he thought financial expediency was behind it.
In his assessment of the application, council planner Jeremy Grey said while he was sympathetic to Mr Windwood’s views, the design of the new building aligned with what had been approved previously.
Because the site would not be left vacant the new building would maintain the heritage values of the area rather than detract from them.
Mr McKinley hoped the new building would be completed by early next year.
