No one likes to see once fully functional public buildings now derelict with broken windows and doors, and the target of graffiti.

While Council receives many compliments of how great our gardens and grounds are looking, clearly the public of CHB are not happy with the state of the old hospital. At recent meetings where the subject matter has been totally unrelated, the question eventually asked is ‘What’s happening to the Old Hospital’? As the Manager of the hospital at the time of sale, it is disheartening to see the wanton destruction that has taken place. Ex employees also despair at the sight of the building many built their careers on.

Council CEO, John Freeman, and I met with Occupational Safety & Health and the District Health Board in a bid to ensure we do as much as we can as a Council. Regretfully, our responsibilities are limited, as the building is privately owned.

Sadly, with school holidays upon us the graffiti gets greater, and while we await a report regarding possible contaminated material, trespassers risk possible danger to their health.

Hopefully, the current state of the building has a short life and the future holds a positive resolution and a building or site we can appreciate again.