Focus on parking ‘too narrow’

A group fighting to save the former Sims Engineering building in Port Chalmers says the Dunedin City Council is too focused on demolishing the old foundry.

The council last week released a report by consultant WSP Opus which examined three options for the building’s future — all involving degrees of demolition to make way for parking.

That was despite more than 80 public suggestions for the building — ranging from car parking to a sports facility, indoor market or other recreational use — being received by the council during a consultation process in 2018.

Sims Building Action Group spokesman Bill Southworth said his group had discussed the report on Wednesday night and was pressing on with its fight to save the old structure.

The WSP Opus report had been given "a very narrow scope" that overlooked the historic value of the building and its potential as a community asset, he believed.

"This report was commissioned to build parking lots — and nothing else. The whole report is very light on the history and background and cultural value of the area. In fact it says almost nothing at all."

He wanted to see the council put the same effort into exploring the other alternative proposals for the future of the building as it had done for demolition and car parking.

"They [the council] have enormous resources. We’re a volunteer group.

"It would be lovely to think they would do a report on where there is a case to be made for turning it into a multi-purpose community facility, and something that acknowledges the history of work in the great shipping industry that was once here in Port Chalmers."

The council commissioned the WSP Opus report in early 2019, months after the public feedback was received.

However, the company was asked only to look at the "engineering feasibility" of turning the site into a car park, property services group manager David Bainbridge confirmed last week.

That was because car parking was "one of the top proposals" received, he said.

The building is not a listed heritage building — and therefore not protected — but was a last remaining link to the maritime engineering history of Port Chalmers.

It was once the Stevenson and Cook foundry, and later a base for Sims Engineering, and had been used for gold dredge construction, repairing damaged United States destroyers and building World War 2 minesweepers.

It has been empty since its asbestos roof was removed by the DCC in 2017.

The WSP Opus report, and a covering report from Mr Bainbridge, were considered by councillors in the non-public part of last week’s full council meeting.

The council was now waiting for a submission from the Sims Building Action Group on the building’s future at next year’s annual plan hearing.

Mr Southworth said work on the submission — outlining plans for turning it into a mixed-use community space — was already under way.

In the meantime, he believed the council should also commission WSP Opus again — this time to study alternative community uses of the building in more detail, as it already had for car parking.

That would also be important information to have at next year’s budget hearings, he said.

Another advocate for saving the building, Roseneath archaeologist Peter Petchey, of Southern Archaeology, was concerned the focus on car parking overlooked the building’s heritage values.

The WSP Opus report was "very deficient, probably largely as a result of council directives" to focus on car parking, when he believed there was "strong" community support to retain the building.

Despite that, "rather than take the lead, the council has removed the roof and is in effect committing demolition by neglect", Dr Petchey said.

Mr Bainbridge has previously said the building is not deteriorating — despite the missing roof — and that demolition for parking was not "the best option".

"We would love there to be a viable community use for that building. We’re not seeing one at the moment."

chris.morris@odt.co.nz