The petition, tabled by Cr Dave Cull at a finance and strategy committee meeting, sparked a long debate about whether the council could accept it.
It prompted one councillor to walk out, advice to be sought from the council's governance manager and even a phone call to the city's solicitor.
Organised by Trish Saunders, of Dunedin, and volunteers in March, the 712-signature petition opposed Christchurch developer Luke Dirkzwager's plans to demolish the buildings at 372-392 Princes St and replace them with a new building.
It called for an end to "demolition by neglect", saying Dunedin's attraction was in its heritage, and argued the facades of the buildings could be saved.
The development was a non-complying activity under the Dunedin City Council district plan, as the area is a protected townscape precinct.
Despite that, following a council resource consent hearing in December last year, an interim decision was released indicating the committee was "of a mind" to approve the plans if the developer came up with a different design by July 1.
The petition is the second Ms Saunders has raised, with the first, with 250 signatures, presented to the resource consent committee hearing last year.
Cr Cull said he was only a "messenger" and had been asked to table the petition.
Committee chairman Cr Richard Walls said it could have no effect as an interim decision had been made.
Cr Colin Weatherall agreed it had no relevance, and he and Crs Walls and Fliss Butcher, who made up the resource consent committee that made the decision on the buildings, left the room as they were involved in the decision-making.
There was an extended debate about whether the council should hear the petition, considering there had been a process under the Resource Management Act and the matter was not on the agenda, but after advice from governance manager Sandy Graham and a phone call to the city solicitor, it was decide it could be tabled.
Cr Michael Guest, chairman of the planning and environment committee, did not accept the advice, leaving the room as he did "not want any part of it".
Ms Saunders said last night it was easy to get bogged down in procedure, but the person with the ability to stop what was happening was the building's owner.
After the meeting, Cr Cull, who is the chairman of the heritage buildings economic reuse steering group working party, set up to investigate methods to encourage restoration and reuse of privately owned heritage buildings, said the petition would be noted.
He said the steering group was set up because the council believed it was worthwhile saving heritage buildings.
