Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is demolishing four buildings at a major transport intersection in central Auckland later this month to remove a public health and safety risk.

Waka Kotahi Director of Regional Relationships, Steve Mutton, said the site was purchased in 2002 for a future transport project and the mainly two-storey buildings have been vacant since May 2018.

“The buildings are not suitable for either commercial or residential tenants because they are an earthquake risk and contain asbestos. Leaving them as they are would put people and neighbouring properties at risk in the event of an earthquake,” says Mr Mutton.

“We considered strengthening and improving one of the buildings for businesses and apartments, but this would require significant investment and is not a viable option.”

The buildings at 154-174 Beach Road are close to a major city intersection crossed by State Highway 16 which links the port to Auckland’s motorway network. The land was purchased for a project to improve transport access between the port and the motorways. That work is planned to start in 2028.

“The buildings would need to be demolished at some point but removing them now allows us to work with potential partners to find a temporary use for the land until it is needed for the project. Negotiations are under way to lease the cleared site for a short-to-medium term public transport facility.”

Waka Kotahi apologises in advance for any disruption and inconvenience during demolition and thanks people for their understanding.

“The buildings are located on a busy city street, close to a main intersection. We will minimise disruption to journeys as much as we can by ensuring truck trips to and from the area are scheduled outside of peak traffic,” says Mr Mutton.

The demolition will be carried out in daylight hours by Nikau Contractors and is expected to take about 10 weeks.

© Scoop Media