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Heritage New Zealand, Summer 2002

Wellington Hospital Block

Demolition is the threatened fate of the distinctive face of Wellington Hospital, despite the building's registration (as a Category II historic place) by the Trust at its August Board meeting.

The distinctive face of Wellington Hospital. Picture: Belinda Brown

Built in 1928 as part of a major addition to the hospital, the front block is a handsome neo-Georgian structure on Newtown's Riddiford St. Wellingtonians know it best as the home of the outpatients and casualty departments of the hospital. It is a significant historic building and a fine example of public architecture.

Wellingtonians know this entrance well. Picture: Belinda Brown

Until recent years, the building had a road-widening designation over part of its site, so the Wellington City Council chose not to list it on the district plan. But, until late last year, the Capital and Coast District Health Board still planned to include the building in a proposed redevelopment of the hospital. Now the board wants the land occupied by the building for other purposes (possibly parking or traffic movements) and is not prepared to pay for its restoration and maintenance, nor consider private funding for an alternative use. Three years of consultation have been undertaken on the issue and for two of those years the building was included in concept plans and was to be retained. Those concept plans changed, and the board has dismissed community objections to the proposed demolition.

Picture: Belinda Brown

In the meantime, the Wellington City Council, despite having had ample opportunity, has chosen not to list the building. It has accepted the health board's advice that the building's protection would be at the expense of funding the hospital's redevelopment. That stance was also adopted by the local residents' association, which had earlier made strong statements in favour of the building's retention.

With the board and the Minister of Health deciding that the building must go, little effort has been made to examine ways it could be used in the redevelopment. No cost-benefit analysis has been done to see if the combined cost of demolition and building anew would exceed the cost of refurbishing the existing structure.The most obvious use if a medical purpose were not appropriate would be as a dedicated administration block.

Time has not run out. Final plans have not been prepared, nor final designs for the site. It is difficult to believe a Government body could set such a poor example by pulling down a registered historic building.

How you can help

Lobby the Wellington City Council for the application for resource consent for the hospital redevelopment to be publicly notified. This will then allow the public to have their say on the resource consent application. A form letter (Acrobat file) is available here to help save your time.

Please send a copy of your correspondence to Dr Bill Tramposch, Chief Executive, New Zealand Historic Places Trust, P O Box 2629, Wellington.

For more information

For the proposed regional hospital development see the website of Capital and Coast District Health Board.