Quicker but riskier fix en route for landslip
There was relief in the Christchurch City Council chambers yesterday as residents of Whaka Tce heard help was on the way.
For two and a half years – and to the tune of $6150 a month for ratepayers – the residents of more than 70 households on the hills of Huntsbury have been dogged by road cones and temporary fencing surrounding a slip in the road.
For one Enticott St resident, whose property backs onto the slip, it has meant the delay of his retirement.
The slip was connected to damage done during the 2010-11 Canterbury earthquakes. The retaining wall installed to hold it up failed in August 2021 after a bout of rain.
About 40 trucks worth of debris spilled onto Kevin Owen’s Enticott St home, he told councillors at the full council meeting yesterday. He said several tonnes of debris was wheel-barrowed out during another slip in July 2023.
Owen, 68, is a widower who has been trying to retire for 12 months.
He wants to downsize to secure a comfortable retirement, but real estate agents have warned against selling his home – valued at over $1 million – before the slip is fixed.
With half a dozen neighbours sitting behind him, he urged councillors to vote for the costlier and riskier, but quicker, solution in front of them. That option – which staff recommended – “is much more intrusive, disruptive, and a complex wall to construct”, according to the staff report.
It had a significantly higher cost and risk profile and could have long-term impacts on utility providers, but met all current design standards. The alternative option was about $1m cheaper, but the council would need to take legal action to get an easement on private property and construction would likely be delayed by several years, the staff report said.
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the riskier, but recommended design, which contractors could start work on by mid-2024.