Owners who paid $3.1 million for a derelict Freemans Bay villa which they hoped to restore have begun demolishing the property after it was declared unsafe.
The 150-year-old uninhabitable four-bedroom, one-bathroom house at 12 Anglesea St sold for almost double its $1.79 million capital valuation in April this year.
Earlier this year, Barfoot & Thompson marketing agent Lucia Pereira said the new owners, who are from Auckland, planned to completely renovate the heritage-protected property before moving in with their family.
However, demolition begun yesterday afternoon after the house was declared dangerous by the Council prior to October. Resource consent was authorised by an independent commissioner in November and supported by Heritage New Zealand.
Consent, without public notification, proceeded on several grounds including the building having deteriorated to such an extent that restoration would be both costly and impracticable and the loss of much of the home's original exterior detail.
The owners are required to construct a `suitable' replacement dwelling that responds positively to its surroundings on the site within five years.
The home did not have significant historic heritage however was included in a special character overlay under the Unitary Plan.
Prior to April, the deceased estate had not been on the market in almost 60 years prior and it had just been used for storage in the past 10 years.
The property is round the corner from the well-known Paget St cottage that was demolished in October, to build a large four-bedroom home.
An application for a new dwelling on the site has not yet been lodged.
