Latest updates:
29 June 2:32pm
The majority of the structure has now been successfully dismantled, and the demolition crew will return tomorrow as they continue to clear rubble. The site is safe and secure, and the road has re-opened with traffic management which will continue overnight and tomorrow as the site continues to be cleared.
29 June 11:03am
Last night we received technical advice which concluded that a controlled demolition of the house at 1181 Scenic Drive can safely take place in a managed, staged approach. The property owners and their insurer have agreed to this. Demolition will begin this morning, and Scenic Drive is temporarily closed from Puketaha Road to the intersection with Swanson Road and Waitakere Road as a precaution.
28 June
Auckland Council is carrying out assessments of a damaged home on Scenic Drive, Swanson, and urges people in the area to take care.
The house is one of several properties along this road that received a red placard following the flooding and cyclone events earlier this year. It has become more unstable as a result of heavy rainfall in the area over the last few days.
Adrian Wilson, Manager Compliance at Auckland Council, says Scenic Drive has reopened after it was closed on Tuesday night, with safety measures in place.
“Scenic Drive reopened this morning, with traffic management in place, and we encourage drivers to take care when travelling through the area. We are confident that the safety measures will protect road users in the event that the house at 1181 Scenic Drive collapses any further.”
The council has been monitoring the houses on Scenic Drive since being notified of the original slip following storm events earlier this year and has been working with the property owners at 1181 Scenic Drive to plan for next steps and mitigate risks.
“We alerted both Fire and Emergency New Zealand and Auckland Transport to the risk at the property late last week, after monitoring identified that the empty house at 1181 Scenic Drive had begun to move and was at risk of potential collapse.
“We engaged engineers to assess the property from a structural and geotechnical perspective. The house was not immediately demolished due to concerns that removing it could worsen the slip behind the property and potentially risk the safety of a demolition team, neighbouring properties, or the road,” says Adrian.
Both houses next to 1181 are empty, and another house next to one of these houses was evacuated on Tuesday night as a precaution.
An inspection of the site was carried out today, and the council is awaiting further advice on next steps for controlled demolition. Safety measures such as fencing and concrete barricades remain in place.
The council would like to remind the public that the property is an extremely dangerous environment and should not be approached or entered.
