Wilding pines to be removed from Port Chalmers foundry building site

Work to remove wilding pine trees from the bank behind the former Stevenson & Cook Foundry building in Port Chalmers will soon get underway.

Contractors will be removing the wilding pines on the Dunedin City Council-owned site to allow geotechnical engineers to carry out a detailed assessment of the bank. This assessment will then inform options to stabilise the bank long-term if needed.

Contractors will begin work to remove the wilding pines on Monday, 8 June. It is expected to take about one week to complete depending on weather conditions.

The tree removal and geotechnical assessment is part of the DCC’s commitment to support the Port Chalmers Foundry Trust’s plans to redevelop the historic site into a multi-use arts and community space.

Once the trees have been cleared, engineers will undertake a more comprehensive assessment of the bank to determine what stabilisation work may be required. Planning for this next stage is already underway. The DCC will also consider how best to replace the pines with plants that are more appropriate for the area and better suited to the site conditions.

The original Stevenson & Cook Foundry, also known as the Sims building, was constructed at Beach Street in 1880, with an additional section later built in the 1930s. The building is currently owned by the DCC and has a long history in Port Chalmers’ ship building industry. The additional section was identified as having limited historical value and was subsequently demolished to improve access to the site and support work to stabilise the bank.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the DCC and the Trust was signed in 2022 to secure the future conservation and refurbishment of the heritage site. Under the agreement, the DCC committed to remediate the site and stabilise the neighbouring bank, while the Trust raises funds for its plans to refurbish the heritage building for community use.

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