Quake reminder to reinforce buildings

Christchurch's earthquake should be a warning to Nelson to strengthen buildings such as the School of Music, says Nelson MP Nick Smith.

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Christchurch's earthquake should be a warning to Nelson to strengthen buildings such as the School of Music, says Nelson MP Nick Smith.

"This big quake in Christchurch is a timely reminder for Nelson, which has a very similar level of earthquake risk."

Dr Smith said people tended to get "complacent and even grumpy" about council requirements to strengthen buildings. "Work is progressing, but there's a real resistance to meeting those costs."

He identified the Nelson School of Music as one public building in need of work, but believed there were others around town.

"My view is if I was a city council building department I would be reviewing where we're at."

No lives were lost in Christchurch because the earthquake struck during the early hours of the morning, but Nelson might "not be so lucky," Dr Smith said.

He said he wrote a "grumpy" letter to the Education Ministry last year regarding earthquake strengthening work that was required at Nelson Intermediate School. It's now under way and due to be completed next April.

City council building manager Tracy Quinton-Boundy today said the weekend's events had been a "wake-up call" for everyone and she expected discussion would be revived around the security of city buildings.

Nelson is in a zone of moderately high seismicity, according to the council's Earthquake-prone, Dangerous and Insanitary Buildings Policy 2006. A review has been done of city buildings to identify those considered potential earthquake-prone buildings under the Building Act 2004.

Ms Quinton-Boundy said the council had since identified 240 buildings in the central city and wider Nelson area, including commercial and public buildings and bridges, which were potentially earthquake-prone.

Very few building owners had started the process of strengthening their structures. The policy was implemented in 2008, and the information was really only reaching building owners now, Ms Quinton-Boundy said.

The council considered it was important that heritage buildings had a good chance of surviving a major earthquake.

Heritage buildings were assessed in the same way as other potentially earthquake-prone buildings and discussions were held with owners and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust on how best to protect these buildings without compromising their heritage values.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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