The shops at the end of Ellice Street on the Basin Reserve intersection look as though they may be heading for imminent demolition, due to an order from the Wellington City Council to bring them up to earthquake standards.

The shops - unoccupied for a number of years - were sold to the NZ Transport Agency, who now have the legal requirement to either ensure that they meet the Wellington City Council's long-standing earthquake standards, or to apply for a resource consent to demolish them. The reason the shops and the flats above are vacant is that it's illegal to tenant them when they are a known earthquake hazard.

For a while, it looked as though the Transport Agency were conducting "demolition by neglect", which inspired the Mt Victoria Residents Association to write to the then-Minister Annette King and seek assurances that the Agency would follow the proper procedures. This resulted in the shops being secured against the elements and the occasional squatter.

However the Council's notice gives the Transport Agency until the end of April to come up with a solution. In both cases, a consent will be needed to either strengthen or demolish, so local residents may have some further input into what happens. And as most Wellingtonians know, there are major plans for the Basin Reserve underway which may impact on the lower Ellice Street area, but as the NZ Transport Agency has been completely silent on the designs for their flyover (despite some media leaks) it's not clear whether the shops are in the firing line from their inappropriate roading plans or not.

We'll keep you posted.

The Wellington City Council's earthquake strengthening notice has been taped to the front of the vacant Ellice Street shops.