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The Oriental Bay Band Rotunda, built in 1936, was closed in 2012 after being deemed earthquake prone
The council and Cheops have now parted ways leaving the building’s future uncertain
Work to restore Wellington’s Oriental Bay Band Rotunda has been mothballed, with Wellington City Council’s chosen developer unable to find a tenant for the site.
It leaves the future of one of the capital’s most prominent waterfront landmarks uncertain, more than a decade after it was initially closed.
The building, which is both earthquake prone and heritage listed, has been closed since 2012 and requires considerable strengthening and restoration work to bring it up to standard.
Wellington City Council owns the building and in 2019 chose developer Cheops Holdings, sister company to McKee Fehl Construction, to revive the site.
The Band Rotunda is earthquake prone and heritage listed and has sat empty since 2012. Photo / Heritage New Zealand
Work later began to restore the building into a premier hospitality venue, with an expectation it would be completed by the end of 2021. Progress stalled, however, with Cheops unable to find a suitable tenant to move in.
“They need to be able to pay a fairly substantial rent so that I can afford to do the work that’s necessary.”
Now two years later, the Herald can reveal a tenant still hasn’t been found and Wellington City Council and Cheops have decided to terminate their arrangement to develop the site.
Clark confirmed the agreement was off the table and the issue is now back with the council but would not comment further.
An artist's impression of the Oriental Bay Rotunda in early 2021. Photo / Supplied
A council spokeswoman said “Wellington City Council and Maurice Clark have mutually agreed to terminate the development agreement and lease for this property”.
“Council is now in discussions with other parties with regards to developing the site.”
The Band Rotunda has been a Wellington waterfront landmark since its original construction in 1936.
In 2019 the council said the concrete slab between the upper and lower levels of the building had deteriorated and become unsafe, with the foundations also affected by the sea.
It was originally constructed as a bathing pavilion with the second level added in 1985 to create a restaurant. The lower level, which was previously a changing room, was turned into a community and meeting space.
Oriental Bay Residents Association president Paul Ridley-Smith said the building is an “iconic” part of the suburb, calling today’s news ”disappointing”.
Construction work on the historic landmark stopped in 2022. Photo / Ethan Manera
Ridley-Smith said residents are very keen for the building to be done up and want to see the council find another developer soon.
He recommends the council come up with a better deal to attract a developer, floating the idea of a 99-year lease at $1 a year to encourage someone to take on the project.
“It’s a tough market to develop properties in Wellington at the moment, we understand that to get a hospitality business to pay a rent that would justify the base build cost and the fit out is challenging. That is unfortunately the situation the city is in at the moment.
“It’s iconic, no question about it, but the more important thing is that it is redeveloped, so if changes have to be made then changes have to be made. The worst outcome is to leave it as it is decaying.”
Cheops Holdings has a high-profile redevelopment portfolio, including the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s head office in Stout St, the Public Trust Building, and Press Hall precinct.
In 2016, Clark was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to heritage preservation and the construction industry.
Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 and is interested in politics, local issues and the public service. Ethan is always on the lookout for a story and can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz or messaged on X (formerly Twitter) @ethanjmanera
