Have You Got Protection?

Bluff may very soon have none.

Cr Boniface and Bluff Community Board are at the meeting discussing Urban Renewal and Derelict Houses are also on the agenda so it seems apt to mention this.

One of the things I’d been meaning to follow up on was the NZ Historic Places Trust Register.  Being the longest continuously settled European town in New Zealand you would expect us to have some buildings on the register.  I have heard many times that the issues surrounding the Club Hotel and it’s condition are hampered by NZHPT registration.  That won’t be the case for long…what then I wonder?

Under Section  74 (2)(b) of the Resource Management Act, all councils when creating and reviewing their District Plans, must consider the Register.

We all seem to have the misconception that the Register protects a building or landmark.  The reality is that the District Plan provides the protection after considering the register.  ICC have begun their review of the District Plan and when they check the register they are going to find Club Hotel is NOT a Category 2 listed building.

I know the sign says it has registration but I was looking on the Register and it wasn’t there.  I finally got around to making inquiries.

Here is the response:

The Club Hotel in Bluff was thought to have been registered as a Category 2 historic place. However, some of these early registrations were not properly completed at the time and are now described as ‘deficient’. Therefore Club Hotel cannot, regrettably, be regarded as registered.

The reply also pointed out that there are no buildings in Bluff registered.

What’s the ramification of this?  Hard to know but it could mean the owner would be free to maintain, upgrade, repair or demolish the building unhindered.

If the owner has been using the registration as an excuse to do nothing, the removal of that protection allows council to force the owner to maintain the building.  Without knowing the mindset of the owner it’s hard to know.  There are economic benefits to NZHPT registration and the removal of those may force drastic action.  Who knows?

One thing this reiterates to me is ‘don’t believe everything you read’ and ‘do your own research’ and continue to follow up.  I won’t be forgetting that if we don’t rezone it will big business (industry) that has the capital to fund demolition and rebuilding of such a large site.  I doubt any cottage industries could repair and reopen the Club.  I can’t see it reopening as a pub or accommodation…such a significant feature on our main street…what’s it’s future?