Demolition to begin on Cathedral Square buildings
The clock is ticking for one of Christchurch’s ‘Dirty 30’ buildings, following the announcement of a series of demolitions.
The strip of abandoned shops - a two-storey pavilion and the six-storey car park which wraps around the 14-storey former Rydges Hotel, on the corner of Oxford Tce and Worcester Blvd - is expected to be gone by April 2024.
The Christchurch City Council granted Emmons Development NZ Ltd resource consent to demolish the buildings in May 2023, and on Thursday said the works will begin in September.
Emmons Development, whose sole shareholder is Singaporean-based Naoaki Sun, plans to redevelop the hotel after demolition is complete. Emmons Development also owned the cleared site of the former 12-storey Grant Thornton office building, which was demolished in 2012 and located next to the car park.
Read the full story from reporter Sinead Gill here (subscription required).
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