The 105-year-old Edmund Anscombe-designed home is likely to be demolished, and the Southern Heritage Trust is calling on the Dunedin City Council to seek a heritage order to prevent it.
Southern Heritage Trust chairwoman Jo Galer said it was preposterous that with this much community concern, "this landmark in Stuart St is still going to be smashed to pieces".
"The council created these planning laws, ignoring warnings from heritage supporters, where we said our new district plan (the 2GP) had left tracts of the city’s heritage exposed to as-of-right non-notified demolition.
"This beautiful grand home’s wilful destruction is a tragic consequence of the council choosing to ignore our concerns and go for intensification of the inner city at all costs."
When Elim Group first proposed demolition of the house for development - and the removal of a heritage-protected tree - last year, it attracted more than 100 submissions to the council, most of them in opposition.
Elim Group eventually withdrew its original consent application and lodged a new application for a multi-unit development, which would retain the significant tree.
Ms Galer said she did not have much hope for what would replace the house.
"We are confident that what replaces it will be nowhere near the design quality this one was.
"Bland shoebox apartments. The designs are available as a building consent has been lodged."
Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker said while the issues were difficult with this particular building, as it was technically not heritage-listed, "we really need to think about prevention as the best cure to saving our heritage buildings and getting those listings done".
"We tried to do that last year - I think we listed a huge amount of buildings or put them on the district plan - but the challenge is that we can’t save everyone and with the RMA changes, it’s going to be very difficult as well."
Ms Barker said the upcoming changes to the RMA could have significant impact on future heritage decisions.
"We just had an RMA briefing last week and I am beyond concerned at what may happen to historic heritage under the new RMA."
Elim Group has been contacted for comment.
