$2 million project to strengthen Edgar Centre to start

A $2 MILLION project to fix Dunedin’s Edgar Centre is about to start.

The Dunedin City Council yesterday announced structural strengthening of the complex would begin at the end of the week.

The work was expected to be completed ‘‘around the middle of the year’’, council property services group manager David Bainbridge said in a statement.

Work would start in the Woolstore part of the building — the building’s largest courts complex — and would mean the roof and walls had additional bracing added, he said.

The centre would remain open while the work was carried out, but there would be some extra noise and activity.

A small number of courts would need to be closed at certain times so work could be carried out.

Design work for the strengthening of the adjoining amenities building and MoreFM arena was still to be completed.

The work comes after it was revealed last year the complex used by 650,000 people a year was significantly earthquakeprone.

Two consultants’ reports, prepared in 2016 and 2017, had found the venue’s three main buildings were all significantly earthquakeprone, at 10%15% of new building standard (NBS).

The entire complex was also being affected by subsidence, which was warping floors and creating other headaches, including leaks and other weathertightness issues, the reports showed.

The work now set to begin would lift the building above 34% of NBS, meaning it was no longer considered earthquakeprone.

In June last year, council staff had estimated the repairs would cost less than $1 million, but the budget had doubled after a more detailed investigation.

The $2 million budget also included a contingency, ‘‘and the actual costs may not be that high’’, Mr Bainbridge said last November.