Quake risk buildings to be closed
‘‘We cannot in good conscience allow members of the community to continue to occupy these spaces.’’
Roger Ball, Nelson City Council group manager community services
Two council-owned buildings in Nelson are being closed over earthquake safety concerns, leaving community groups needing to find other venues.
The Stoke Memorial Hall and the Refinery building on Halifax St would close ‘‘by the end of March’’, the council said in a statement.
The Hounsell Circle Bus Shelter in Ta¯ hunanui will also be closed.
‘‘All the buildings are known to be earthquake-prone. Although none of the buildings pose any immediate danger to the community, [the] council is not prepared to accept the level of risk they present should an earthquake occur,’’ the council said.
Community services committee chair councillor Matt Lawrey said the council acknowledged that closing buildings could ‘‘create lots of headaches’’, and apologised for this, but the decision was made because of safety concerns.
‘‘I know council staff are going to do everything they can to look after the users of those buildings. We and the [council] staff wouldn’t be taking these steps if it wasn’t in the best interests of the public.’’
Council group manager community services Roger Ball said council staff were helping affected community groups to find new venues, and were already in touch with many of the affected groups.
This help would include some financial assistance if necessary, to cover additional costs to the groups for the first six months of their relocation, he said.
‘‘In light of the reassessments, we cannot in good conscience allow members of the community to continue to occupy these spaces,’’ Ball said.
‘‘While the three buildings were already known to be earthquakeprone, a combination of updated assessments and improved knowledge about seismic issues in buildings has led us to act now.’’
He said the council reassessed all known earthquake-prone buildings after the Greenmeadows Community Centre in Stoke was completed.
In order to be classified as earthquake-prone, a building must be less than 34 per cent of the New Building Standard (NBS).
The Stoke Memorial Hall, classified in 2014 as 24 per cent of the NBS, should be revised to 17 per cent, according to the latest assessment.
The hall and the nearby former Stoke Seniors building will close to the public on March 29. The Stoke Seniors building is not earthquakeprone, but will be closed due to its proximity to the hall.
The Refinery building was given an NBS rating of ‘‘less than 15 per cent . . . in 2012’’. It is currently leased by Arts Council Nelson, and will be closed within two weeks.
The Refinery was due for earthquake strengthening work over the next two years, but the council said the new assessment in February this year found that more work was required. The Hounsell Circle Bus Shelter is not in use, and will be fenced off.
The council is also planning to bring forward the demolition of the old Mediterranean Foods building on Halifax St. This was originally scheduled for January 2022. Ball said that because the work was already planned, it was unlikely to lead to any extra costs to the council.