We're preparing to demolish two buildings we own at 29 and 47 Wellington Road, Kilbirnie. The buildings are not suitable for people to live in, because they are earthquake-prone and don’t meet current acceptable standards. Demolition work will begin in July 2020 and will take approximately 4 months.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency bought these properties between 2012 and 2015 under previous plans to widen Wellington Road. Those plans are no longer going ahead. In their place, new plans for transport improvements in the area are being investigated by Let’s Get Wellington Moving as part of a package of State Highway improvements.
29 Wellington Road was purchased between January 2012 and June 2013 – as 12 separate units. It has an earthquake rating of 21% of NBS (New Building Standard). It has not been lived in since January 2014.
47 Wellington Road was purchased as one property in June 2015. It has an earthquake rating of 18% of NBS. It was vacant at the time of purchase and has not been lived in since.
We sometimes own properties that are not immediately required for construction of transport projects. We aim to keep these properties in use and tenanted wherever we can – especially where there are housing shortages, but this is not always possible.
We have considered strengthening and improving the buildings so they can be lived in again, but this would require significant investment. With investigations underway for Let’s Get Wellington Moving, which could include widening of Wellington Road, there is a chance that money spent upgrading the properties would be lost.
We do not yet know what land may be required to potentially widen Wellington Road. This is something that is being investigated as a part of improvements to Wellington’s State Highway from the Basin Reserve to Cobham Drive. The design for any changes in the area will incorporate community feedback and be integrated with the wider Let’s Get Wellington Moving plan.
Both buildings have been vacant for over four years. Demolishing the buildings will mean we can work with other agencies to find temporary uses for the land until transport plans in the area are confirmed. We will seek feedback from the community on any proposals for temporary uses of the land.
In May 2019, the Minister of Transport announced the Let’s Get Wellington Moving package of transport improvements for Wellington.
The Let’s Get Wellington Moving plan includes grade-separation at the Basin Reserve as well as an extra Mount Victoria Tunnel and widening of Ruahine Street and Wellington Road. These projects are being investigated together as a part of a package of State Highway improvements for Wellington.
Let’s Get Wellington Moving is an alliance between Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Wellington City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council.
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