The Gore District Council considered a range of options for the handful of buildings at the former Gore Motor Camp, including using the buildings as rentals, but a decision was made to remove the structures altogether as the cost of bringing them up to scratch would outweigh any potential benefit.
Gore District Mayor Ben Bell said, in a statement, the decision to take the buildings down was made only after much scrutiny and assessment of the buildings.
‘‘Once we had clear evidence of the condition of the buildings, it became apparent that retaining them was neither safe nor financially responsible,’’ Mr Bell said.
‘‘The costs required to remediate these structures to a standard suitable for use would have far exceeded their value.’’
Local contractors doing the demolition and specialist contractors dealing with the contaminated material were at work at the site yesterday, alongside local builders set to salvage appliances for other council sites.
‘‘Investigations found asbestos in construction materials and confirmed significant methamphetamine contamination inside several buildings,’’ a council spokesman said.
The controversial campground closed at the start of this year.
The company operating the campground had its lease terminated and residents were given 50 days to find alternative accommodation after police callouts and accusations it was an unsafe environment which had been taken over by gangs.
At present, the future of the site is unknown.
Mr Bell said decisions had not been made about what to do with the land, although three options were available.
The first option would be to reinstate the campground, the second would be to develop it into a general purpose reserve, or it could be put to use ‘‘for a different purpose altogether’’.
‘‘Any future options will be openly consulted on, and the community will have the opportunity to be involved before decisions are made.
‘‘This is about closing one chapter responsibly and making sure we do the next part well.’’
