South Brighton Community Centre demolition to begin

Demolition of the South Brighton Community Centre will begin today (Monday 21 January) and is expected to be completed early next month.

Christchurch City Council last month approved the demolition of the community centre at 74 Beatty Street, which has been closed since the 22 February 2011 earthquake.

Engineering advice shows the community centre has extensive earthquake damage. The Council has also received a Notice of Demolition from the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) because parts of the centre are considered dangerous. However, as the notice was only for a partial demolition of the building, Council approval to demolish the entire building was sought.

General Manager Community Services Michael Aitken says while the community has missed the facility since its closure, it is unfortunately too damaged to retain. South Brighton Community Centre is one of 30 priority projects which in September 2012 the Council approved for funding, further investigations and, where possible, repairs.

“Coming up with a long-term solution for the community centre is certainly important to the Council and this was recognised when it last year named the facility as one of its priority projects. It’s difficult for residents to see the building coming down but we’re pleased to be able to offer some clarity about the building’s future. We will continue to update residents as more information comes to hand.”

Future options for the site are continuing to be explored. However, rebuilding on the same site may be complex and expensive as it is Technical Category Three (TC3) land.

To see a copy of the engineering report for the community centre, or for more information about the Council’s Facilities Rebuild Plan project, visit www.ccc.govt.nz/facilitiesrebuild

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