CONTRACTORS BEGIN FINAL STAGE OF REMOVING SHED 35

CentrePort staff will mark the end of an era as contractors begin the final stage of dismantling Shed 35 – a vacant cargo store badly damaged in last November’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

“We started the process in January, but have been delayed by weather and logistics. We’re now moving into the final stage, which will take about two weeks,” CentrePort Property General Manager Nick Wareham says.

Mr Wareham said the building was deemed earthquake-prone several years ago, and the Kaikoura earthquake had caused further damage to the old cargo store.

“We spoke to key stakeholders such as Heritage New Zealand and Wellington City Council about the fate of the building and decided it needed to come down for safety reasons.”
Mr Wareham said the 1915 warehouse was a “listed heritage building” under the Wellington city district plan.

He said removal of the building would enable the port to fulfil its Wellington Lifelines Group duties, such as providing alternative transport links in the event of a natural disaster.

Last December, CentrePort conducted urgent works to contain asbestos panels on the roof and will manage removal of any asbestos under a WorkSafe-approved management plan.

A 60-tonne excavator will be used to demolish the building, which should take about two weeks.
Meanwhile, the Port is also working on plans to demolish the former NZ Rugby Union building, Shed 29, the G&A and the MSC buildings, which were all assessed as earthquake-prone before the 14 November quake.

CentrePort will make a decision on the future of Statistics House, Customs House, BNZ and Shed 39 once engineers and insurers have completed their deliberations.

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