Building tweaks cause concern

Public concern is surfacing because an anonymous person has bought and begun altering an iconic Wanganui building.
The former Post Office building at 60 Ridgway St is a famous building with an important history, and construction work on its ground floor has evoked fears about possible damage to its structure and aesthetic features.
Sources suggest the new owner lives outside Wanganui and intends to lease the whole building, mainly for retail.
The Wanganui Chronicle has been told the owner is trying to make it a more attractive space for prospective businesses.
A reporter asked appointed contractor John Fraser the name of the owner, but Mr Fraser declined to offer any information.
Wanganui architectural designer Bryan Stewart also withheld information on grounds of professionalism, however both men have given assurances the work would not change or damage the original structure, or any of the building's noteworthy design features.
"The work there is no secret. The plan is to open up the ground floor entrance to install retail units and attract businesses to lease space in the building.
"This will open up the entrance, making it more visible and accessible from the street.
"Effectively, we are taking out windows and putting in doors," Mr Stewart said.
An historic Wanganui landmark, it stands today as one of the most prominent remaining examples of Modernist architecture in the city.
Built in 1940, the building replaced the original old Post Office building - equally historically important - which now houses the Orange cafe and other businesses.
When New Zealand Post moved their Wanganui headquarters into the the building, it heralded the beginning of a new technological era in the mail, telegraph and telecommunications industry.
The site continued to be a crucial communications hub in the central North Island region up until the 1970s, when new technology once again dramatically changed the nature of telephone communication.
The building at one time housed NZ Post and two other telecommunications companies, but today only NZ Post still leases a site in the building, to house the city's PO boxes.