Arts Centre not gifted for heritage says Vice-Chancellor!

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Dr Rod Carr stated in the Press of July 3rd that the University  did not gift the buildings to be a heritage site or a museum of neo-Gothic architecture.  No-one is claiming museum status for the site, but its heritage status is undeniable, recognised both in the City Plan and by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Whether the University deemed it a heritage site is ultimately irrelevant because it is not up to it to determine that status, but of course the claim that it was not gifted for this reason is in fact a nonsense and is clearly intended to ease its path to gaining approval for the new building. It is unthinkable that the University would have gifted such a huge capital asset had it not recognised the strong public interest in protecting the buildings.  The reality is that an Arts Centre was conceived as an appropriate means of providing a new use for the buildings which would allow them to be preserved.  Dr Carr's attempt to now place a different gloss on this very generous gift to the people of Canterbury and New Zealand does him and his institution no credit and raises serious doubts as to the ability of the current university leadership to make a sound and unbiased judgement as to whether the proposed new building does indeed complement the existing heritage structures.