Age claim dooms heritage villa

This is all that remains of the Herne Bay villa. Picture / Kenny Rodger

The word of a house wrecker helped to convince the Auckland City Council that a 100-year-old house in Herne Bay was built after 1950 and therefore did not need resource consent to be demolished.

Inquiries by the Weekend Herald show that one of the council's architectural planners, Mike Watson, approved the demolition of the villa in Marine Parade, which official records show was built before 1915.

The building was substantially demolished last week by developer Chris Cook, who plans to construct two houses on the $5 million prime waterfront site.

Mr Cook and Mr Watson did not return calls this week. An internal council investigation has been launched into how the heritage home came to be demolished.

In May last year, the council introduced sweeping changes in heritage suburbs such as Herne Bay. Mayor Dick Hubbard promised the changes would bring an end to the "days of people waking up and finding the bulldozers have gone into the house next door".

But that is exactly what has happened for Ted Leng, who lives across the road from 29 Marine Parade.

Mr Leng said the council should have been more proactive in checking the age of the house.

Mr Leng, a former builder, said the house had additions and alterations but the core of the building was in its original state, with kauri flooring and scrim-lined walls consistent with a pre-1920s house.

Quotable Value lists the house as being built between 1900 and 1909 and a drainage plan dated 1915 is on the council file. No records exist to show the house has been demolished and replaced after 1940.

Council files show that Mr Watson visited the site and relied on a report by house wrecker Alex Burrell, before concluding that "no resource consent is required for the demolition of this building".

Mr Burrell, calling himself a building consultant and a specialist in the reconstruction of heritage homes, runs Burrell Demolition. His report said predominant aluminium joinery, fibrolite components and pine weatherboards dated the house in the 1950s.

Another report, by Meridian Planning, said the house was "almost entirely constructed of pine", was built in the 1950s and was substantially renovated in the late 1970s.

Planner David Wren said a previous owner of the property had plans to subdivide the site but retain and restore the house.

Councillor Penny Sefuiva has asked planning general manager John Duthie to investigate the matter and possible legal remedies if the council was given incorrect information.

Mr Duthie said he expected to have an assessment of the house completed early next week that would include a site visit and report by a heritage expert.