Demolition date set for QLDC's 516 Ladies Mile home

The black-mould-riddled home at 516 Ladies Mile owned by the Queenstown Lakes District Council could be gone within months.

The council anticipates demolition work to begin as early as next month and be completed by July.

It has received indicative quotes from demolition contractors and is working through procurement options for the appointment of a preferred contractor, a spokesperson says.

Details of the price tag attached to the work are unknown for now.

"This is commercially sensitive at this time," the spokesperson says.

"Once the contract has been awarded, we are happy to provide the cost."

The council bought the 14-hectare property in 2019 for close to $14 million, and plans to convert the former family home on it into a community hub were thwarted in 2022 by the discovery of toxic mould in the building.

Issues with weathertightness were flagged to the council prior to the purchase, laid out in a report by Forbs Building Surveyors and Property Inspections. 

The council has maintained that the value of the purchase lay in the land itself.

It has indicated future options for the property will be discussed as part of its Long Term Plan process.

The council spokesperson says a garage on the site will be saved for now for potential use for community purposes.  

The demolition plans were briefly discussed by councillors during Thursday's Community and Services Committee meeting, where elected members welcomed news of progress at the site.