Auckland Council’s Finance and Performance Committee has approved bringing forward funding to do the first stage of safety and risk mitigation work on 135 Albert Street.
Due diligence when the council purchased the building for its headquarters in 2012, and further investigative work since, has confirmed a significant issue with the 25-year-old building’s stone cladding, that needs to be addressed. Some funding was set aside at the time of purchase. However, as there was no indication of urgency then, it was put into later years’ budgets.
GM Corporate Finance and Property Kevin Ramsay says recent reports have highlighted the need to address the cladding problem sooner and councillors were asked to approve a proposal to bring forward $4.7 million from the 2015-2025 Long-term Plan budget to fund safety and enabling works.
“While the formal risk profile for the building’s cladding issues, which is based on global risk assessment standards, is ‘moderate’ and with a low likelihood of anything falling, we are firmly of the opinion that any risk whatsoever triggers an essential health and safety response from us, with appropriate actions being taken.
“The safety fencing that is currently around the building and the proposed next steps to install a scaffold system at the top and a working platform are designed in a way that will mitigate these risks, as well as performing a functional role for any repair works that follow,” says Mr Ramsay.
Council officers will now progress plans to increase the safety provisions, begin enabling works and continue planning for a longer-term solution.
