KEY POINTS:
Time is running out for an old building at Green Lane Hospital that is to be demolished and replaced by 30 carparks - despite the protests of staff and the Historic Places Trust.
Building 5 - which was designed in 1907 by architect G. W. Allsop - was
added to Auckland City Council's proposed heritage building list in 2006 after being evaluated and found to have historical significance.
However, a revaluation came back one point under the threshold.
With no heritage status, the council suggested the building be adapted for another use but the Auckland District Health Board was not in favour and sought consent for it to be demolished.
That consent was granted last month and if no appeals are received by Thursday, demolition is expected to start as soon as possible.
The plan to destroy the old building, which has aspects of the Queen Anne revival, has upset many hospital staff and members of the public - who made submissions during the resource consent process.
Theatre nurse Dale Pearce said 55 staff had signed a petition last year in an attempt to keep the building open but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
Now, as the deadline draws close, Ms Pearce and many of her colleagues have been left feeling gutted by the loss of yet another hospital building.
Ms Pearce said the Wallace Block at Auckland City Hospital was pulled down for carparking 2 1/2 years ago, but that carpark had not been built.
There are also plans to pull down an old art deco building at the Greenlane site.
"They [the health board] are just hell bent on pulling down all the old buildings basically," she said.
"They have no consideration for the staff who work here, and the responsibility to keeping the heritage of the city is absolutely non-existent."
Ms Pearce said the hospital was not short of carparking and she believed Building 5 was being destroyed because it cost too much to maintain.
The Historic Places Trust strongly opposes demolition, saying it would result in the permanent loss of a heritage resource for future generations.
Auckland City Council heritage manager Nicola Short said adapting the building would have been a good option but that had not happened, despite discussions with the ADHB.
Health board general counsel Bruce Northey said there was no funding to maintain the old building, which had become the target of vandals, taggers and thieves since the last occupants moved out three years ago and adaption was not a viable option.
"Unfortunately, compliance with modern building requirements such as earthquake strengthening, and lack of any modern utilities in the building, now mean that piece of elastic has been stretched to its extreme tolerance."
So far, no appeals have been lodged with the council.
LINKS
* The plans, policies and reports section of the Auckland City Council's website.
* The submission by the ADHB to remove Building 5 from the Heritage Schedule.
* Make your own submission on the Council's website.
