Beloved Invercargill heritage building Anderson House, urgently needs remedial repair work to prevent the building from further deteriorating and succumbing to water damage, the Invercargill City Council says.

Invercargill City Council Property Manager Paul Horner’s report to the ICC Infrastructure and Services meeting agenda says the maintenance work should be undertaken immediately.

"Remedial maintenance to the value of $400,000 should be undertaken immediately to prevent any further deterioration of the building," he said.

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"There is a reasonably urgent need to complete remedial maintenance to keep the House watertight and to safeguard this heritage building."

Anderson House is a Category 1 listed historic building.

Mr Horner is recommending that councillors approve the $400,000 expenditure at the next Infrastructure and Services meeting on Tuesday (October 6) and proceed with the maintenance immediately.

He says once a suitable future use for Anderson House was found, other work such as the seismic strengthening and fire and access improvements of the building should begin. 

A further $400,000 is needed for earthquake strengthening. 

"Without strengthening, the house cannot be safely entered by the public," he says in the report. 

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Anderson House was closed in 2014 after being assessed as a serious earthquake risk.

It is currently rated at a seismic strength of <10% NBS but needs to be at 67%NBS to comply with the Heritage NZ requirements of the site. 

However, fire protection and access issues to the building also need to be addressed, which will cost a further $314,000, totalling $1.14 million in maintenance costs.

"In total, to both maintain the house and to enable the public to enter the house requires a total spend of approximately $1.14 million."

"In summary, to address these objectives, [we] suggest $1.2 million should be budgeted, which includes a contingency," he says.

In the 2018 Long Term Plan, $1.72 million was budgeted in the 2020/21 financial year (carried forward from 2017) for the potential earthquake re-strengthening work, therefore the proposed changes of $1.2 million can already be achieved within this budget.

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The ICC will make an application to the Lotteries Environment and Heritage Fund for the additional costs associated with addressing earthquake strengthening, and fire and access requirements, of around $800,000. 

Applications for the Lotteries fund close in March 2021. 

"It is essential that ongoing maintenance be undertaken on the house. The immediate priority is addressing the remedial maintenance, and in the next few months council staff will also prepare a 20-year maintenance plan so future maintenance costs can be properly budgeted in advance. If appropriate, the Anderson House Trust may have more involvement in the 20- year maintenance planning."

Heritage NZ representatives have visited Anderson House today (October 2) and a verbal update from their tour is expected to be given at the Infrastructural Services Committee meeting on October 6 at 3pm.