Wakatipu Environmental Society Inc spokeswoman Karen Swaine says an application in the Environment Court for $15,000 costs against the society by owners of Arrowtown's old Emporium building which was demolished last month is unreasonable.
Representatives of the Gary Mullings Family Trust, owners of the Emporium, lodged an application for the costs on July 29 after Judge Laurie Newhook invited parties to seek costs after the society's application to stop the demolition was subsequently withdrawn. The application for costs by the owners of the Emporium was made following a three-year process that the society took to the Environment Court to prevent the building's demolition.
Gary Mullings said he disagreed the process was a demolition, saying it was a "dismantling" of the Emporium.
Spokesperson for the Gary Mullings Family Trust, Southern Planning Group director Scott Freeman said they did not wish to comment on the cost application until a decision was made by the Court and made known to all concerned parties.
However, Ms Swaine said the society objected to the claim for costs.
"It's an unreasonable amount they are requesting. Basically their lawyer spent two hours [on it]."
The society was waiting for an outcome on the cost application before considering signing a request from the developers of the new building, which included the Gary Mullings Family Trust, for a variation on their building consent.
The variation was to locate the building frontage further forward than consented to, at the boundary of the 1904 building on the site when it was used as a blacksmith's forge.
Later, when the building was adapted for use as a garage, the frontage was rebuilt further back to provide a petrol forecourt.
Although the society had at one time agreed to locating the new frontage on the 1904 boundary, Ms Swaine said it had subsequently wanted it relocated to the garage frontage, because that more accurately reflected the historical journey of the building.
