Last month the Central Otago District Council hearings panel, comprised of Crs Neil Gillespie, Martin McPherson and Ian Cooney, reserved its decision after hearing evidence about the owners, Marco Creemers and Ryan Sanders’ plan to plaster the exterior of the building.
The former homestead was constructed in 1920, and never completed when the then-owner ran into financial difficulties.
Mr Creemers and Mr Sanders had agreed to leave a portion unplastered to show the original state and how the building had looked until now.
Council heritage expert consultant Robin Miller said he wanted to see a larger amount unfinished than was proposed.
The present owners’ brick specialist John Oliver said the bricks were not designed to be exposed and could allow moisture to enter the building. But their planner Jeff Brown said a seal would be added around the windows, potentially timber or plaster matched to the brick colour, to keep them weatherproofed.
Yesterday Mr Creemers said the hearings panel had requested more information regarding the weather proofing of the unplastered area. The couple had sourced information from their architect and heritage consultant and passed that on to the panel.
Cr Gillespie, who chaired the panel, said they were working through the process and would notify the building owners when they had reached a decision.
