Palace Hotel Rubble Removed

in Auckland by AKT — December 9, 2010 at 5:10 pm | 0 comments

Despite legal action, what remains of the 124-year old Palace Hotel in Federal St in Auckland is being removed today.

Ward Demolition are conducting out the removal operation for the Auckland Council which has said it is for safety reasons.

The final demolition is being watched over by some mean looking security guards. The other day the Wellington owner of the property parked his BMW in front of the equipment to stop it being used.

The old Aurora Hotel, opposite Sky City on the corner of Federal and Victoria St, was being renovated by Wellington developers to be made into a brothel in time for the RWC 2011 when cracks were discovered. The council ordered its demolition one night but the Wellington owners questioned the initial demolition and were unhappy with the removal of the rubble and have sought legal action.

The council said in a statement just after the demolition: “All reasonable steps were taken to reach a sound decision, including the advice of engineers who strongly advised that the movement of the building posed a serious threat to public safety.”

But a council report on the matter is not being made public while the court action is progressing.