MEDIA RELEASE
17 August 2016

Heritage buildings to have a promising future

Eleven heritage buildings around Wellington have received grants totalling $305,513 from Wellington City Council toward earthquake strengthening work such as geotechnical and seismic assessment or structural work, as well as repairs and maintenance to keep built heritage characteristics.

The building owners have benefitted from the latest round of the Council’s Built Heritage Incentive Fund (BHIF) with the Transport and Urban Development Committee approving applications last week.

The BHIF is a key initiative of the Wellington Heritage Policy 2010. Grants are allocated to projects that conserve, restore, protect and care for Wellington’s heritage-listed buildings. It is one of several Council initiatives to help building owners seismically strengthen their buildings - see wellington.govt.nz/eqincentives

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says: “The significant funding increase in the 2015 Long Term Plan means we can collectively help more heritage buildings tell their stories to the public.

“Wellington’s character is made of such a variety of small cottages and large commercial, public and religious buildings from many different decades. This fund helps our physical and cultural resilience and our Capital City’s attractiveness to residents and visitors alike.”

Vanessa Tanner, the Council’s Senior Heritage Advisor, says: “These buildings have stories to be told to our future generations. Funds like BHIF and other incentives for earthquake-prone buildings help owners work alongside the Council to build safer communities while preserving landmarks.”

Heritage-listed buildings from across the city received grants for seismic strengthening and conservation projects. They include the prominent St Gerard’s Monastery overlooking the city from Mt Victoria for a detailed seismic assessment and development of a design for strengthening, renowned architect John Scott’s Futuna Chapel in Karori which integrates Māori and Pakeha architectural traditions, and two railway cottages that contribute to the Tarikaka Street Heritage Area in Ngaio.

The Council’s Transport and Urban Development Chair, Cr Andy Foster, says: “It’s hard to pick out buildings but I am particularly delighted that we have been able to work with and support the Futuna Trust which is doing a wonderful job in caring for and maintaining the iconic chapel, and to support the strengthening of St Matthias Church at Makara. It’s also great to see the owner of a heritage-listed residential property in Thorndon voluntarily going through the process of checking whether the building is at earthquake risk and then taking action to strengthen it.

“Our ability to support strengthening and maintenance of these building has been significantly enhanced by increasing the amount last year that we allocated to support strengthening of heritage buildings. It means Wellington is more resilient while we are better able to retain heritage that adds so much to our city,” says Cr Foster.

Buildings benefitting from the fund are:
Project
Amount
10-24 Blair Street and 7-23 Allen Street – seismic strengthening
$20,000
22 Burnell Avenue, Thorndon – seismic strengthening
$10,000
Futuna Chapel, 67 Futuna Close, Karori – structural strengthening and conservation
$35,513
St Gerard’s Monastery – detailed seismic assessment
$25,000
60-64 Courtenay Place – seismic strengthening
$50,000
St Matthias Church, 379 Makara Road – seismic strengthening
$44,000
161 Cuba Street– seismic strengthening
$90,000
37 Tarikaka Street, Ngaio – re-roofing railway cottage
$3000
37 Tarikaka Street, Ngaio – re-roofing railway cottage,
$3000
Wellesley Club Building, 2 Maginnity Street – seismic options analysis
$15,000
Wellington Rowing Club, 29 Jervois Quay ­–re-roofing
$10,000
Total
$305,513

The next round of funding applications is now open and will close for applications on 28 October. To find out about recent projects that have been funded visit: wellington.govt.nz/bhif

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