Council hopeful new quake-strengthening laws will help building owners
The Grey District Council is cautiously optimistic that the Government’s new "risk-based" approach to earthquake strengthening will benefit the Greymouth CBD.
There are currently 127 quake-prone buildings in the Grey district.
The new Earthquake Prone Building system, announced by Government yesterday, means buildings under three storeys and in towns with under 10,000 people may no longer need strengthening, remediation or warning notices - and could be removed from the earthquake-prone register after having their facades secured.
The Grey District Council is considering the implications of this for History House and the Harbour Board buildings, which are both council-owned and earmarked for sale.
Mayor Tania Gibson cautiously welcomed the change, while stressing the need to keep the community safe.
“We want a vibrant CBD, but we need to know more. We are seeking clarity about the impacts of this change.”
Council General Manager Economic Development and Regulatory Services Peter O’Sullivan, said the devil would be in the detail.
The exact timeframe and the detail for the proposed changes has not been released.
However, based on the information to hand, the new risk-based approach appears be positive for the owners of buildings in the CBD.
“This new process could significantly reduce the cost and improve the feasibility of managing seismic risk in many buildings in the CBD.”
A large number of the buildings in the CBD currently rated at less than 34% of the NBS could, under the new process, require far less work to remediate the risk.
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said yesterday that for buildings which still require some remediation, the Government is removing the rule requiring owners to upgrade fire safety and disability access at the same time as earthquake strengthening.
Local councils will also have the authority to grant extensions to remediation deadlines of up to 15 years, giving building owners time to secure funding, plan and carry out any major work still required.
