The former rehabilitation and respite centre on Great South Road has been vandalised and graffitied following its closure. The property failed to sell in 2022 and its owners are now considering their options. Photo / Alex Burton
The former rehabilitation and respite centre on Great South Road has been vandalised and graffitied following its closure. The property failed to sell in 2022 and its owners are now considering their options. Photo / Alex Burton
The former Laura Fergusson Trust building in Greenlane remains empty after its controversial sale two years ago. A new board has now taken over the trust, but its chairwoman says it is unlikely to return to the site.
A former disability facility in central Auckland has fallen into disrepair while its previous owners search for a new home.
The Laura Fergusson Trust controversially closed and then sold the 1.5ha respite and rehabilitation centre in Greenlane in 2021 for a reported $49.5 million.
The buyer planned to build 240 apartments on the land but it was relisted for sale in 2022 and remains unsold.
The trust now has new leadership after a dramatic annual general meeting in November in which all board members resigned.
They were replaced by advocates who had opposed the closure and sale of the Greenlane facility.
The new chair, businesswoman Victoria Carter, said it was unlikely that the trust could afford to buy back the existing facility. It now held around $35m, well short of the asking price for the site.
While the Greenlane property has been sitting vacant, it has been vandalised, with windows broken, walls and ceilings smashed and graffiti covering some of the buildings.
The former Laura Fergusson Trust building previously provided 40 residential units for disabled tenants, a specialist gym and hydrotherapy pool. It was closed in 2021, with the board saying it was financially unsustainable to maintain. Photo / Alex Burton
The interior of the main building on the property has been vandalised.
A real estate sign remains outside the property, promoting it as “Auckland’s premier redevelopment opportunity”. It says expressions of interest closed in November 2022.
“It’s the best site without a doubt,” Carter said. “I think it’s a tragic waste of what was a good quality building.”
Real estate agent Layne Harwood said the property was no longer on the market and the Hong Kong-based owners were considering their options.
They had sought to recoup the $49.5m they paid for it, with a premium, but had failed to get an offer which was acceptable to them, he said.
Harwood said it would require significant investment to restore the accommodation and facilities.
Carter said the trust had considered leasing the property but she now felt it would be better to find a greenfields site and “start from scratch”.
The trust was looking for a central Auckland property and hoped to provide transitional accommodation, a gym and hydrotherapy pool, a community space with a cafe and gardens, support services and offices.
Carter has been researching facilities in New Zealand and Australia, and was particularly interested in the Braintree Wellness Centre in Christchurch, which is a community hub for people with neurological conditions.
Victoria Carter, who had battled the Laura Fergusson Trust for many years, became chairwoman of the trust in November after an eventful annual meeting. Photo / Jason Oxenham
NZ Spinal Trust national programmes manager Andrew Hall said the Auckland region was significantly under-resourced for high-quality rehabilitation services.
Some young people who had used the Greenlane facility had been placed in rest homes after it was closed.
Carter became chairwoman of the trust after fighting the former board for three years over the facility’s closure.
With 80 others, she took legal action after their applications to become members of the trust were declined.
Following mediation, some of their memberships were granted, giving them voting power at last year’s annual meeting.
Chairman Simon Barclay adjourned proceedings after a majority of members voted against accepting the minutes.
Some of the board members had planned to resign. But after the adjournment the entire board quit on the spot and the advocacy group Friends of Laura Fergusson Trust put up eight candidates who were voted in.
It partly blamed disability funding models for its financial position and said Crown health agencies were increasingly focusing on caring for people within their own homes rather than in the community.
Former board members could not be reached for comment.
