A fire in the historical Toomath's Buildings in central Wellington has prompted an urgent demolition notice from the local council.
"Our staff are working closely with the building owners to resolve this situation as fast as possible, and while there are a lot of considerations required for such a major undertaking, we are on the right track," Wellington City Council's chief planning officer Liam Hodgetts said in a statement.
The building was protected through a local heritage-listing but the safety of the public has superseded this, the council stated.
A council spokesperson said the building owners have 10 working days to come up with a plan for the building's demolition.
One of the owners, who wanted to remain anonymous, told 1News they're still waiting to hear from their engineers on whether the Edwardian Classical façade can be saved.
"It's important we make the right decisions with the right information... safety and time are restraints," the owner said.
The road in front of the building remains closed off with no access to southbound traffic. The public are being advised to avoid the area.
"We advised the owners of the building of the absolute urgency in getting the work completed to address safety concerns and the need to reopen the road, and they are complying with our requests," Hodgetts said.
"We will support them in their endeavours to achieve this and the next steps."
The building was designed in 1900.
A notice recognising the building was prone to damage in an earthquake was issued by Wellington City Council around 20 years ago and the deadline for strengthening the building was reached a decade ago. Since 2019, the council and owner have been involved in legal battles over the restoration of the building.
The current owner said the previous owner, a family member, died a couple of years ago.
Their plan was to redevelop the building and discussion with the council on what historical features needed to be kept were ongoing, they said.
"We were getting there and then for this to happen is tough timing," the owner said.
"We're very disappointed but the safety of the public... we're just so grateful no lives were lost, including emergency crews who responded."
Historic Places Wellington spokesperson Felicity Wong said news the building is being demolished is "really sad, frustrating and totally preventable".
Wong said the best outcome now would be if the façade is saved as that would maintain the heritage view from the street. She said even if this happened, it would still be a loss for heritage that the rest of the building is demolished.
She called for the contestable former Heritage Earthquake Upgrade Incentive Programme fund to be reinstated.
"We can't let humans demolish our heritage," she said.
Police are investigating the cause of the blaze. It received reports that four young people were seen entering the derelict building before the fire broke out around 2.35pm on Sunday.
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