Warehouse defends demolition

The Warehouse has opened a new store in Royal Oak. Photo / Dexter Murray

Retailer The Warehouse has hit back at accusations it demolished a historic textile building and chopped down protected trees.

A spokesperson for the retailer said the old building on the site of a new store at 100 Pah Rd in Royal Oak had no standing as historic and although trees were removed, they were done so for good reasons and extensive landscaping had been completed.

When permission was sought to develop the site, Clare Covington of planning consultant Harrison Grierson told Auckland Council a historic industrial building once occupied by Alliance Textiles was on the land.

The distinctive block had also been a gymnasium, office, and an education facility, Covington said, recommending against permission to develop a new store.

Work also meant the removal of a scheduled phoenix palm and liquidambar tree and chopping down 16 generally protected trees, she said.

The Warehouse's spokesperson challenged Covington's report.

"To our knowledge the textile building was not an historic building and had no status as such," the spokesperson said.

"We progressed consent through the standard process.

"Regarding the removal of trees, there were two protected trees of a poor quality. One was a a phoenix palm - now classed as a noxious weed - and a liquidambar."

The company had fulfilled a condition of the consent to plant four large-grade trees and five large Puriri trees, at Hendry Ave in Hillsborough, the spokesperson said.

"Extensive landscaping in excess of $300,000 on site has been undertaken including over 4000 plants and 105 trees."

The new store, near the Mt Albert Rd intersection, opened on Saturday.