Timaru council grants consent for demolition of buildings in CBD

Tuesday, 10 October 2023

The buildings set for demolition include the former Majestic Theatre, centre, and the buildings to its immediate left.

The Timaru District Council has granted its holdings company consent to demolish a row of buildings in Timaru’s CBD including the former Majestic Theatre completed in the 1920s.

Timaru District Holdings Limited (TDHL) general manager Frazer Munro released documents to The Timaru Herald on Tuesday, showing the consent had been granted on Monday.

In August, TDHL applied for consent to demolish the buildings at 101-107 Stafford St, which it purchased in September 2018 as part of a $1.7 million buy-up of properties in the area.

The heritage value of the buildings prompted Timaru-based urban design expert Nigel Gilkison to ask the council to put a stop to the demolition plans before it was too late.

South Canterbury Historical Society president Ray Bennett, left, and Nigel Gilkison, who has called on the council to put a stop to the demolition plans before it is too late.

Gilkison said the buildings were an important part of the town and should be “incorporated as an integral part of the current CBD regeneration plans”.

It’s been a week since the council was asked to release documents relating to the application to demolish the buildings. It is yet to do so.

The Timaru Herald has asked the council for a copy of the consent application, and any correspondence relating to the consent.

That request was made on October 3.

Two days later, a council spokesperson replied saying the request “is now being treated as a LGOIMA (Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act)”.

In acknowledging the request, they said: “We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than 20 working days after the day your request was received.

A rendered image of what the green space will look like once the buildings on Timaru's Stafford St are demolished.

“If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of an extension of that time frame.”

All such requests for information from the council are automatically covered by the Act, and a council must release any information it decides to make public without “undue delay”.

Given the council has had the consent application since August 15, and has confirmed it has the additional information it requested, the Herald questioned why it could not be released immediately.

On Friday, the council gave no reason for the delay, but said it would be able to provide a response early this week.

Some of the buildings on Stafford St could face demolition if the council issues a consent.

It’s not the first time the Herald has had to wait for answers over the matter.

On September 15, the council was asked whether it had received any consent applications for demolition or construction on the properties, and if it could provide any details. It took six days to answer.

The request was made just after 5pm on a Friday, so a response was not expected immediately.

The council responded the following Monday, advising it would be able to “provide the information you have asked for on Wednesday”.

It gave no reason for the time frame, but did not meet its own deadline.

When chased for a response, a council spokesperson said the information sought by the Herald had been provided by TDHL general manager Frazer Munro.

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Munro issued a statement outlining TDHL’s plans for the site earlier that day, and responded to questions the Herald put to the company the day before.

Pointing this out, the Herald asked the council to “please provide a response from the council”, as the authority charged with issuing consents.

The following day, six days after the initial request, the council confirmed it had received the application more than a month earlier, on August 15.

When asked why it had not responded sooner, a spokesperson said: “We always try our best to respond promptly to enquiries.”