'No issues' despite asbestos discovery

Asbestos has been uncovered at the site of the AMP/Odeon demolition off Marine Parade but demolition crews had worked around strict preparation and removal protocols and there were "no issues" in terms of possible danger to the public.

Demolition 1 boss Ivan Yukich said the crews had been made aware of the asbestos roofing sheets and dealt with them accordingly.

The undersides were hosed and washed down while the exterior had effectively been sealed by aged lichen and moss.

"We do jobs all over the place where there is asbestos," he said, adding the site had been inspected by Occupational Health and Safety representatives.

However, some locals working or passing through the area were not so sure. Dave Hannay said several people had approached him in his shop which is next to the demolition site, and spoken about white dust in the air earlier in the week. They were concerned it may have contained fragments of asbestos which Mr Hannay knew had been in the building.

He operated the State of It youth venue there for four years, and remembers, with others, coming across powder in the ceiling of the building when they had to enter the space to change light bulbs.

He suspected it had flaked from the asbestos roofing sheets above.

"I saw the roof coming off but that was not the problem - it was the particles floating about underneath."

Mr Yukich said white dust people may have seen had come from plasterwork and Gib boarding inside the building, and believed any ceiling asbestos had already been removed before the demolition crew got under way.

Mr Hannay made calls to the Napier City Council and Health and Safety seeking clarification and was told there was no asbestos problem, but he was not convinced.

"But they took it all down anyway," he said, adding that his past dealings with local government had always been fraught with problems so put it down to the old adage of "you can't fight city hall".

Mr Hannay said watching the old Odeon come down was "real sad".

"It was hard watching that digger going through the walls."

The cinema had been the venue for his, and the Youth Entertainment Trust's desire to ensure the city had a youth venue. It regularly attracted 100s of young people and drew support of scores of parents who would give their own time to work on the facility.