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Greater Christchurch RECOVERY UPDATE Port Hills Zoning Decisions

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Greater Christchurch RECOVERY UPDATE Port Hills Zoning Decisions Greater Christchurch RECOVERY UPDATE Port Hills zoning decisions Three studies on the life-safety risks Another eight properties on Lucas Lane are at risk of landslip associated with cliff collapse or falling and also require further investigation. A decision is expected “The information they have collected by by the end of October. boulders, known as rock roll, have been mapping thousands of rocks over the Port commissioned on the harder hit Port Hills Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says it’s the Hills has been fed into the state of the areas, to inform decision-making: life-threat risk that’s created the uncertainty for some people. art modelling system developed by the • The Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) “A lot of people have worked hard on this and I wouldn’t want Milan University. Those models have been study for the Christchurch City Council anyone to think that the decisions made have been trite or ill- run and re-run to ensure the answers are considered – far from it. We know how serious it is for people consistent. So as frustrating as it may be, • A ground truthing of the resulting GNS model was to receive these decisions, but it also marks a significant step undertaken by the Port Hills Geotechnical Group for the forward for the wider city because it means that we now have it just has to be acknowledged that this Christchurch City Council only a few of our residential properties with some uncertainty work is complex. And these decisions have • A 3D rock fall study was undertaken for CERA by about their future.” not been made lightly.” - Roger Sutton specialist geotechnical engineering firm Geovert “We’re not trying to prolong the pain; we just want to make That’s resulted in the green zoning of more than 1,100 Port sure people get a fair go as the situation is not as clear as it’s Hills homes and the red zoning of 285. been for any other land decisions.” 158 homes have been deemed to have a rock roll risk CERA Chief Executive Roger Sutton says the work the of between 1:1000 and 1:5000, which is considered geotechnical engineers have been doing has been intense. unacceptable. That means further investigation is required before a final decision can be made. An announcement for those households is due in the middle of next month. Progress towards a new home for quake displaced technology firms ISSUE 11 July 2012 Construction’s well under way for a temporary in Canterbury before September 2010, none sustained IT hub for a group of earthquake displaced earthquake damage. They performed a great deal better INSIDE Christchurch technology firms. than steel and concrete.” He believes the future lies in timber structures. “Overseas, The two storey building will be home to 15 information 12-storey engineered timber buildings are commonplace technology firms under the umbrella of EPIC – Enterprise and up to 30-storey ones are on the drawing board”. CERA offers support Precinct and Innovation Campus, on the former Para Rubber site on the corner of Manchester and Tuam Streets. for Port Hills The firms will be housed in a New Zealand engineered residents timber structure by Timbercore. Canterbury director Kevin Barron says about half of the structure is erected, with the page 3 second floor structure and floor now in place. The building has a planned completion date of September. Countdown to More than two million dollars has been allocated towards the the release of the EPIC hub by government to support high-tech innovation in Canterbury. The concept is also supported by Google Christchurch Central which has committed to providing advice to the group on the design and function of the site based on its global Recovery Plan experience. page 5 The four million dollar EPIC hub is set to accommodate the firms for five years. The Christchurch City Council is Positive signs of providing the site rent free for that time. The building’s actual life-span is 50 years but it has been designed to be progress within the dismantled if required. Kevin Barron says the wood structure is so light-weight it community only requires 500 millimetre deep concrete foundations. page 6 He’s keen to see timber used in more and more Canterbury construction. “Of the 30 Timbercore buildings constructed 0800 RING CERA I 0800 7464 2372 I Fax (03) 963 6382 I www.cera.govt.nz UPDATE FROM THE EARTHQUAKE COMMISSION Gerry Brownlee SCIRT progress Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister By the end of June EQC and Fletcher EQR have repaired just on 17,500 Christchurch and Canterbury homes. That’s the The recent zoning decisions relating to Properties at risk from rock roll better than 1 in 5,000 equivalent of all the homes in Timaru – with Port Hills properties were some of the have been zoned green on the basis that this is damage ranging from minor to severe. In most complex and challenging we have considered to be an acceptable risk level for issues total, EQC repairs and payouts to the end associated with rock roll, and by 2016 the annual risk made. of June amounted to $3.2 billion. factor for these properties is expected to reduce to 1 in More than any other area, the issue of life-safety risk has 10,000. Mediation Service had to be addressed. June also saw the announcement of an independent 94 properties at risk from rock roll worse than 1 in 1,000 mediation service for EQC customers under an have been zoned red on the basis that this is considered Three separate studies undertaken by GNS on life-safety agreement signed with the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ to be an unacceptable risk level, and the risk levels are risks association with rock roll and cliff collapse were Institute of New Zealand. commissioned. unlikely ever to reach an acceptable level. “We understand that there are times when there could be A comparatively small number of 158 properties will We have had some of the very best geotechnical significant differences in perspective between customers remain white for a little longer while further information is science assessment and analysis available working and EQC that are best resolved with the help of someone obtained and analysed. on determining the appropriate level of risk to life and who has no personal bias,” says Mr Emson. property, to enable us to make robust decisions. All but eight properties assessed as being at some “This service will give our customers the chance to have risk from landslip have been zoned green, consistent I have constantly stated my intention to zoning their dispute resolved by negotiation by a mediator who with process and methodology used elsewhere in New properties and giving property owners some clarity and has no predetermined view,” he says. enable them to move forward with their lives as soon as Zealand. we possibly can. The service is free of charge to customers and will begin Further specific geotechnical investigations are required in August. If settlement is reached, an agreement is into those eight properties situated on Lucas Lane. And this is what we have done. signed which is contractually binding. All affected property owners will have received a formal Between 5 September 2011 and 18 May 2012 some Interpretation of the legislation and questions relating to notice about the zoning of their properties. 11,700 properties were progressively zoned from white apportionment of more than one claim on a property will to green. Owners of properties zoned red or green now have not be covered by mediation. At the end of last month, we rezoned a further 1,107 certainty and can take the next steps – moving through properties green, meaning owners of those properties the crown offer process, talking to their insurers or EQC can be reassured that their land is suitable for residential as appropriate. occupation. EQC We also rezoned 285 properties red. The owners of Phone: 0800 Damage these properties will receive offers of purchase – two I would like to thank the people of (0800 326 243) options similar to what red zoned owners have received the Port Hills for their incredible Web: www.eqc.govt.nz on the flat land. patience during what will have been The land issues fall into three risk categories: cliff a worrying time. I assure you we collapse, rock roll and landslip. have made the decisions as soon Studies assessing life-safety risk from cliff collapse as we have been able to and that confirmed that 191 properties were affected by the all-important analysis work significant cliff collapse and debris inundation in the Port which has formed the basis of Hills. Viable remediation options that would stabilise Flatland the cliffs have not been able to be identified, and there these decisions could not have been is a very real life risk issue associated with ongoing completed sooner. occupation of these properties. zoning review Further geotechnical information allowed assessments of I wish you all well. the relative life safety risk stemming from the risk of rock applications close roll and the future options for the properties affected. In this case, the first step was to consider the level of life The deadline has now closed for residents to safety risk that is considered acceptable. appeal against flat land zoning decisions in It is not possible or sensible to entirely eliminate or seek Christchurch. to eliminate risk from our everyday lives. By the 30 June deadline, the Canterbury Earthquake And it is important to note that the risk arising from rock Recovery Authority had received a total of 1,313 requests.
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