Heritage advocates have been waiting for a decision on the future of the old brick foundry building since the council spent $215,000 removing its asbestos-based roof in early 2017.
The work left the building, parts of which date back more than a century, exposed to the elements through last winter and into summer.
Council parks and recreation group manager Robert West said the council planned to discuss options for the building’s future with the Port Chalmers community over winter.
That meant the building would be left exposed to the elements for a second winter.
Mr West said a structural engineer visited the site in February and concluded the building was "safe for another winter".
The building formed one part of a wider site used by a succession of engineering companies over the last century, including Sims Engineering and Stevenson & Cook, which has strong links to the town’s maritime history.
Residents have called for the building to be saved — Port Chalmers resident Bill Brown argues the foundry has "the potential to be a great historical asset for the future".
It did not appear on either Heritage New Zealand’s (HNZ) or the DCC’s lists of heritage buildings, but HNZ Otago-Southland area manager Jonathan Howard said in January that "does not mean it does not have historic heritage value".
Mr West, speaking this week, said the council was still considering how best to consult the community over the building’s future, but the West Harbour Community Board and public feedback were likely to be involved.
Details of any options being considered, their costs and timeframes were not available yet, but reports on the building would be made public when the consultation began, Mr West said.
Asked if the council was committed to saving the building, Mr West would only say: "The DCC is committed to talking to the Port Chalmers community about options for the building."
