The Dunedin City Council says there is little it can do to address the problems associated with an abandoned Dunedin building that has become a hot spot for vandalism and arson.
The former Glamis Hospital was last week the target of an alleged arson only two months after another fire gutted the abandoned building in Montpellier St.
Four teenagers will appear in the Dunedin District Court on Friday on arson charges following the fire last Friday.
One also faces a driving-related charge after the group fled the scene in a vehicle before it crashed into a parked taxi.
The former hospital has already been gutted by two fires in the past year which caused major damage to its structure.
As the building is privately owned there is little the Dunedin City Council can do to remove the danger it poses to neighbouring properties.
Owner Leng Seak Loke lives in Malaysia, is understood to be in poor health and has stopped responding to emailed questions from neighbours.
Council building solutions principal adviser Neil McLeod said the council was unable to compel the owner to take any action, although it has suggested actions which could be taken to secure the property.
Mr Loke has previously indicated he was making arrangements to return to Dunedin to address the issues with the building.
As the building was not considered to be dangerous or insanitary under the Building Act there was little the council could do, Mr McLeod said.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand fire risk management officer Mark Bredenbeck said there continued to be major concerns about the condition of the abandoned building.
There was still a huge risk to the public and neighbouring properties from another large fire at the site, he said.
Also, because the structure of the building was unsafe, it posed a danger to people entering the site and possibly emergency staff who had to enter the site during a fire.
The fire last week did not considerably change the condition of the building, he said.
Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen, of Dunedin, said police would continue to work with Fenz and the council to determine what could be done about the risk the property posed.
