The derelict top level of Ōpōtiki's rugby grandstand will be removed from the Princess Street Reserve, council has agreed.

Ōpōtiki District Council also agreed to reroof the lower level and upgrade the changing rooms and toilets for use by sports teams.

Mayor and councillors were presented with options at Tuesday’s meeting to demolish the top of the grandstand building; carry out a full restoration, for which it had no funding; or do nothing, which would leave the park with an unsightly derelict building.

The work in the first option included upgrades to facilities, which are not currently considered fit for public use, and could be completed using funds available in the capital budget for earthquake-prone building work and central government’s Better Off Funding package.

The Better Off Fund allocation needs to be used by June next year.

Councillor Barry Howe commented that the Princess Street Reserve was a great asset to the community.

“The upgrade to the public toilets is going to be fantastic for the public,” he said.

Mayor David Moore said it was always sad to see a historical landmark come down, but it was time because it had become unsafe.

The grandstand has been inaccessible since 2022 when the council removed the stairs as the upper part of the building was found to be unsafe.

A historic photo from 1910 shows there has been a grandstand in Princess Street reserve for over a century, although it was relocated and rebuilt in the 1960s. Photo: Ōpōtiki District Council.

Historic photographs show that there has been a two-storey grandstand at Princess Street Reserve since at least 1910. The building was rebuilt from a previous location in the 1960s, using some materials from the original building.

However, the building’s days have been numbered since new earthquake-prone building laws came into effect in 2017.

Initial seismic assessments in 2019 evaluated the building to be only 25 percent of new building standards, much lower than the 34 percent required by the new standards.

More detailed assessments in 2021 confirmed this and identified other safety hazards, such as the poor condition of the stairs and non-compliant platform and barrier.

Investigations into a seismic upgrade of the building uncovered further work that would be needed and was found to be outside the scope of what the council was prepared to spend.

The council discussed the issue last year with Ōpōtiki Sports Club, which uses the building.

Members agreed that if the council did not have the funding to restore the grandstand, new changing rooms and toilets in the lower part of the building was the best option.

The work will be put out for tender in the near future.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.