Quake-prone building wait

Two Ka¯piti Coast earthquakeprone heritage buildings will have to wait at least eight years for repairs.

Ka¯ piti Coast District Council last week decided five of its properties would be repaired at a cost of $1.8 million, but further consultation was needed on the other two.

O¯ taki Museum and Marine Parade Beach Pavilion, which both have heritage status, were classed as low-use and not included in the plan which would see work completed in the next eight years.

Waikanae Beach Hall, Paeka¯ka¯riki Memorial Hall, O¯ taki Memorial Hall, O¯ taki Theatre and Paraparaumu Memorial Hall were classed as highuse and made the cut.

A building is classed as earthquake-prone if it is less than 34 per cent of the current building standard and, under law, the council has 15 years to bring all property up to the minimum standard. The museum was 10 per cent and the pavilion 15 per cent of the standard.

A report presented to councillors last week recommended a target of 80 per cent of the standard for all high-use buildings; achievable in the next eight years.

Regulatory manager Natasha Tod said the buildings were all constructed to the building requirements of the day.

‘‘Council agreed to remediate higher-use buildings within eight years ahead of the O¯ taki Museum and Marine Parade Beach Pavilion.

‘‘Demolition is not a practical solution for the museum and pavilion as they are both designated heritage buildings and we’ll need to consult with the community on these two buildings to decide what gets done.’’

O¯ taki Theatre and Paraparaumu Memorial Hall were not deemed earthquake-prone, but were 40 per cent of the standard or less, she said.

‘‘In the meantime, as the owner of these properties we’ve installed notices on buildings to let people know the buildings are earthquakeprone.’’

The museum is housed in the former Bank of New Zealand building, which was built in 1918.The report recommended council consulted with the community and O¯ taki Heritage Bank Preservation Trust on its future.