The Oamaru stone church and its rear hall, built in 1963, was offered for sale after the church bought the former Ideal Services (IHC) land and complex in Sandringham St, north Oamaru.
Tenders closed on March 28, but LJ Hooker agent Lyndon McLay said yesterday none was successful.
The buildings and 859sq m site are now being offered for sale at $205,000 (plus GST), the same as its rateable value.
Mr McLay said uncertainty over future requirements for unreinforced masonry had had an effect on the sale. Some prospective buyers wanted to know the findings from the Royal Commission into the Christchurch earthquake, how the Government would treat those and what the Waitaki District Council would do to its regulations.
However, there was still interest. A prospective buyer was shown the building yesterdayand others were looking at total redevelopment of the site, depending on a tenant.
The site is zoned business 3 (light industrial services, wholesale retail and office) and was being offered as a unique site on Severn St with its frontage on State Highway 1 near the central business district, Oamaru Opera House and Oamaru Hospital.
The church bought the Sandringham St site because it provided greater scope for expansion, better parking and access.
The new complex also met 73% of building standards for earthquake risk, when the church would have faced a huge cost to upgrade the church and hall.
