CEO, CERA: Stop the destruction of Christchurch heritage buildings

Stop the destruction of Christchurch heritage buildings.

CERA Senior Management / Ministers Brownlee and Finlayson

I just signed the following petition addressed to: CERA (Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority).

CERA has authorised the demolition of more than 1,100 Christchurch inner city buildings. Many of these buildings have heritage character, are registered with the Historic Places Trust and/or listed in the Christchurch City Plan and contribute to our distinctive streetscapes. CERA is emphasising demolition ahead of retention and repair. Christchurch has lost too many heritage buildings with no public input. It's time to stop, reflect and protect what remains of the city's historic character.

I call on CERA to stop the demolition of Christchurch heritage buildings, do an urgent stocktake of remaining buildings and their significance, and consult the public on priorities and funding for protection, repair and strengthening.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

--

Update:

1. Hoping to present the petition(s) to Cera soon: thankyou for your support!
2.
Wholesale destruction continues. The former Sydenham Post Office: demolished. Only 2 or 3 historic / heritage buildings left on Colombo St, Sydenham: unbelievable! ChristChurch Cathedral could be demolished in part or full: unthinkable! The owner of the former Chief Post Office in the Square wants to demolish. The former Christchurch Railway Station is still under threat. That icon of modernism, the Town Hall, could be demolished: inconceivable! We know the signature total reached in the next week or two, incl. our hard copy versions, will have an impact. We would really appreciate your renewing / extending any contacts to increase the online total. Each signing sends the petition letter to the Min. of EQ Recovery Gerry Brownlee, Roger Sutton Cera CEO, Cera demolitions & communications managers & the Min of Arts, Heritage & Culture. We really appreciate your powerful & heartfelt comments! Again a very sincere personal & collective thankyou for the wonderful support.
Ross Gray

--

Why This Is Important

On the 22nd of February 2011 Christchurch, New Zealand, was struck by a devastating earthquake which severely damaged many buildings, including buildings which had been seriously weakened by an earlier quake in September 2010. CERA (Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority) has already authorised the demolition of more than 170 listed heritage buildings and non-listed character buildings which contributed to the distinctive character of the city. Some of these were very severely damaged, but we believe, on sound engineering advice, that at least 27 of these could have been stabilised, repaired and strengthened to continue as a vital part of the city's history and to contribute to its social and economic well-being. Many more heritage and character buildings are listed for demolition. These include our best known building in the heart of the city, Christ Church Cathedral, along with the former Chief Post Office and Cranmer Courts and The Peterborough, two important elements of the Gothic Revival legacy of Christchurch. Tragically, demolition has just begun on the Occidental, a landmark inner city wooden hotel from the 1860s.

We say it is time to stop the demolition and take stock of what is left. Far too many decisions have been made on the basis of external assessments by engineers with no experience in the methodologies for strengthening heritage buildings. Before any more demolitions of heritage buildings occur we need to have robust, peer- reviewed assessments made by engineers with experience in the seismic strengthening of unreinforced masonry building.

CERA owes it to heritage architecture specialists, to heritage groups and to the citizens of Christchurch to have a much more open dialogue about the fate of those buildings which are still in danger of demolition.

--

CEO, CERA: Stop the destruction of Christchurch heritage buildings

© Scoop Media