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The Timaru District Council is in wait-and-see mode over an application to the Government's Infrastructure Acceleration Fund to speed up housing development.
The Stafford St buildings between the Excelsior and the Theatre Royal will be demolished as part of the project. Timaru District Council spokesperson Stephen Doran said the temporary scaffolding is “to add additional support to the verandah at the corner of the Excelsior building while the demolition is taking place’’.
Valentina Bellomo/Stuff
The 150-year-old building will survive the demolition of neighbouring buildings and be integrated into the heritage redevelopment. Christened the Criterion at the end of the 19th Century, though better known as the Excelsior or X, it was one of the first bluestone buildings to be registered in Timaru.
“It will be pretty hard for the roses. Hopefully there can be a way to keep the gardens protected until a new hedge can provide enough cover from wind and pollutants.” He said the garden was close to the sea and port with large numbers of trucks and traffic operating nearby. “Seven or eight years ago there was a talk of replacing the hedge with a brick wall.”
John Bisset/Stuff
The hedge (pictured right) was having a detrimental effect on the roses with its roots system, a garden expert said. . Thomas said the Festival of the Roses would be held again in December, but he would be stepping down as event organiser.
Enquiries to council late last year by
Stuff confirmed the presence of asbestos in the building.
Valentina Bellomo/Stuff
The council says once it reopens, the kiosk will only be available for booking by schools or community groups. “With regard to the octagonal building, we were about to do some routine repairs and maintenance and discovered some asbestos,’’ Doran said in November 2020. “This has caused a slight delay to the work while it was removed.’’ While the building has not been staffed since the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, Doran said the building was “officially closed in October 2020’’. “The refresh will be taking place over the next financial year,” he said.