Karori campus faces further hurdle as council attempts to suspend Heritage NZ process

Friday, 6 April 2018

The future of the Karori campus has been made more complicated with the Wellington City Council asking Heritage New Zealand to suspend its process to make it a listed site.

The stoush over the future of Karori Campus continues, with Wellington City Council attempting to suspend the process to make it a heritage site.

The former teachers' college looked destined to become a retirement village after it was bought from Victoria University by Ryman Healthcare last year.

The campus was sold by Victoria University last year to Ryman Healthcare.

At Ryman's request, Heritage New Zealand has extended the submission period to give people more time to consider the heritage listing proposal.

But the council wants to suspend the process entirely so that it can be part of a collaborative 'masterplan'.

An abandoned room in the former Karori campus. The college has been empty for several years.

* Karori Campus: Asset or liability?

* Ryman buys Victoria University's Karori campus**

A letter from council chief executive Kevin Lavery to Heritage NZ central region director Jamie Jacobs says the council wanted the organisation to suspend its process.

That would enable 'the establishment of a collaborative partnership' between Heritage NZ, Ryman and the council.

Lavery asked for an 'integrated and collaborative masterplan approach'.

'The outcomes of this will be the protection and appropriate utilisation of important buildings on the site, while at the same time identifying areas of the site where Ryman can implement and develop their property as a full-service retirement village.'

A letter from Wellington Mayor Justin Lester to the Wellington Architectural Centre last month said the council was reserving judgment on the heritage order.

He wanted a 'genuine partnership' between Ryman, Heritage NZ and the community.

A Ryman spokesman said on Friday: 'We are still working through the process with the interested parties.'

Jacobs said Heritage NZ Zealand was always open to finding collaborative solutions for heritage conservation.

Heritage listing would not mean automatic protection of the campus, nor create legal obligations on Ryman.

Jacobs did not respond to a question asking whether the organisation would consider suspending the heritage listing process.

Karori Campus Group spokesman Richard Bentley, who advocated for the land to stay in public hands, said: 'The issue about what happens to the buildings is only marginally affected by if they're listed, or not.

'Listing doesn't protect the buildings.'

A submission from the Architectural Centre also suggests that the listing process would not prevent a collaborative partnership.

'The listing process is an evaluation of the heritage merit of the site, and must be independent of plans for site development.

'We consider this complex and site to be of extreme significance in New Zealand and support all measures to recognise and protect it.'

Submissions to Heritage NZ about the heritage listing proposal were to close on March 23, but that has now been extended to April 24.