LFT building vandalised

NZ Herald story January 2023.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/vacant-50m-property-in-central-auckland-vandalised-as-former-owners-look-for-a-new-home-for-the-disabled/N5F4DMCNIJCFRETXQVCON5X76U/

The former Laura Fergusson Trust building in Greenlane remains empty after its controversial sale two years ago. A new board has now taken over the trust, but its chairwoman says it is unlikely to return to the site.

A former disability facility in central Auckland has fallen into disrepair while its previous owners search for a new home.

The Laura Fergusson Trust controversially closed and then sold the 1.5ha respite and rehabilitation centre in Greenlane in 2021 for a reported $49.5 million.

The overseas owner planned to build 240 apartments on the land but it was relisted for sale in 2022 and remains unsold.

The trust now has new leadership after a dramatic annual general meeting in November in which all board members resigned.

The new chair, businesswoman Victoria Carter, said it was unlikely that the trust could afford to buy back the existing facility. It now held around $35m, well short of the asking price for the site.

While the Greenlane property has been sitting vacant, it has been vandalised, with windows broken, walls and ceilings smashed and graffiti covering some of the buildings.