A new heritage building programme including a list of at-risk buildings is not a ''name and shame'' situation, but will provide help for owners of run-down heritage properties, the Dunedin City Council says.
Despite that, a report to the planning and environment committee noted overseas models focused media attention on buildings deemed at risk, spurring owners to carry out work, or sell.
The council this week voted for the programme, which would include a survey of buildings, to be developed.
The issue arose in 2014, when former heritage planner Glen Hazelton began to consider more active ways of saving buildings at risk of ''demolition by neglect''.
A report from heritage planner Dan Windwood to the committee said the key purpose of the programme would be to monitor progress in preserving and enhancing the city's heritage.
That would be done by recording investment in, and use of heritage buildings, and highlighting any buildings and areas at risk that may need resources.
''The monitoring programme will include an annual survey of heritage items and precincts, including an assessment of the condition of each item and the overall precinct.''
The report said at-risk registers, which were in common use overseas, identified those sites most at risk of being lost as a result of neglect, decay or inappropriate development.
Mr Windwood said once the programme was set up, information on the likes of building and resource consents for buildings listed in the district plan would be collected, and staff would check buildings around the city, though from outside rather than asking to gain access.
That would also help discover how effective heritage funds or grants from the council had been in preserving the buildings.
He said once buildings were deemed at-risk, the programme would be useful to discover common factors behind deterioration of buildings, for instance whether they were on freehold or leased land.
Once that was known, the council could tailor support to the specific issues owners faced.
Mr Windwood said he had experience of the United Kingdom register.
''I've worked with property owners who have had buildings on the risk register in England.
''It helps their cases when they're applying for lottery funds or to Historic England for funds.''
In Dunedin it would be useful for the council in allocating its funds, and also for owners who were looking for funding.
There would be heritage property owners who did not know of the funding help available.
''It would be useful for picking out the properties where we can help the most as a council.''
The report said the data collected would relate solely to the heritage item and not contain information about identifiable individuals.
But it also noted property owners whose buildings were reported as being at risk may react negatively because they see this reporting as an attempt to ''name and shame'' them, even if their name was not directly listed in reports.
It suggested ''careful communication around the project to highlight its purpose''.
An appendix listing the advantages of the United Kingdom heritage at-risk register noted it ''focuses media attention on heritage buildings every year it is released''.
Asked if the programme would name and shame, a question also asked at the committee meeting, Mr Windwood said: ''Absolutely not.''
''We're not looking to name and shame, we're looking to find out which buildings, which owners, can be best supported around the city.''
He said staff would begin looking at sites in spring, and hoped to have the programme in place by the end of summer.
At the meeting, Cr Aaron Hawkins asked if there would be an appeal process for those who did not want to be on the list.
Mr Windwood told him staff would work with owners following the survey of buildings.
