Historic Rangitīkei buildings surplus to requirements

The two-storey brick buildings on the corner of High St and Broadway are a feature of the Marton streetscape. Photo / Bevan Conley

A cluster of historic buildings on the corner of High St and Broadway in Marton could soon be on the market.

Rangitīkei District Council bought the century-old group of four buildings in 2016.

During its meeting on February 29, the council agreed that the Cobbler, Davenport, and Abraham and Williams buildings were surplus to requirements.

The council had considered demolishing or refurbishing the buildings to make way for a new civic centre in Marton costing $34 million. However, in December councillors voted in favour of a plan to build a new centre with a library at the council’s existing site in High St for $19m.

Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson said the recent decision opened up other options that could include the sale of the buildings purchased by the council for $170,000 in 2016.

He said although the buildings had heritage value, it was possible to gain consent for demolition if the case outweighed the heritage value.

“There is a submission process and submissions can be made by anyone in New Zealand,” he said.

“We will work through the options over the next few weeks and keep the community updated.”

The new Marton Civic Building and the earthquake strengthening and refurbishment of the Taihape Town Hall were two of the district’s big long-term plan projects signed off late last year.

Liz Wylie is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. She joined the editorial team in 2014 and regularly covers stories from Whanganui and the wider region. She also writes features and profile stories.