Demolitions kick start next stage of Whanganui port project Te Pūwaha

Only the stubs of silos were left on site by July 7. Photo / Laurel Stowell

Demolition of cement silos and attached buildings is expected to be finished by next month as part of Te Pūwaha Project to revitalise Whanganui's port.

Concrete rubble from the demolition will be crushed and used for road base and stabilisation work at the site.

The cement inside the silos was found not to be usable as cement, but can also be used in the stabilisation.

Only a small amount of the demolition material will go to landfill. Most can be repurposed and recycled. Metal has been separated, for example, for recycling.

Asbestos was present in the cladding of the building, a Whanganui District Council spokeswoman said.

Notices at the site talk about the need for protective clothing, and say respirators should be worn in the area because of asbestos contamination.

Scaffolding was erected around a port building in Whanganui's Tod St before it was demolished. Photo / Bevan Conley

The site will be part of a Q-West Boat Builders marine precinct development. Its design has yet to be finalised.

Q-West is paying for the demolition, as part of its $11million contribution to the port redevelopment project.

The total cost of the project is more than $50 million. The funding is from the Whanganui council, Horizons Regional Council, Q-West and Kānoa, the Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Also at the port on July 15 was archaeologist Andy Dodd, who has been employed to oversee the Te Pūwaha project.

The project governance group consists of the councils and members of Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui Trust and the Whanganui Land Settlement Negotiation Trust. They release information about the project if all the parties agree, and the information also needs agreement from MBIE.

Parts of the buildings were on the ground by July 7. Photo / Bevan Conley

All are welcome to a Te Pūwaha community engagement hui that will be held at 5.30pm on August 10 at the Duncan Pavilion on Castlecliff Beach.

It will provide an overview of the project, including the draft plans to repair and improve the North Mole area.