Diocese eyes wrecking ball for heritage-listed church
The Anglican diocese wants to demolish its heritage-protected church in Riccarton and sell the land to avoid an “uneconomic” $5m repair bill.
The proceeds of any sale could not go towards the $100 million shortfall in the Christ Church Cathedral restoration, however, despite the chair of the trust leading that project suggesting as much last week.
The St James Church on Riccarton Rd was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquakes and has been shuttered ever since.
It was deconsecrated in 2018. It has been for sale as-is since 2019, but it has “highly significant” heritage status under the Christchurch City Council district plan and cannot be demolished, making it an unappealing buy.
The Church Property Trustees (CPT), which owns the land on behalf of the diocese, last year submitted on the council’s proposed Plan Change 14 on housing density, asking that status be removed.
Earthquake damage had diminished the building’s heritage value, it said, and the Riccarton parish had since merged with Spreydon, so the diocese had no use for the church or the site. “CPT have investigated in depth the feasibility of reinstating the church, however, none of the options are economically viable … CPT consider [it] would be appropriate to demolish.”
The council commissioned its own report from heritage architect Chessa Stevens, who vehemently opposed CPT’s submission.
“The cost of retaining the building as a result of damage would not be unreasonable,” Stevens’ report said. “I strongly disagree with [CPT] that it would be ‘appropriate to demolish’.”
Stevens said CPT provided no evidence repair was unviable and in her report listed numerous alternative uses if the church was fixed. “The most compatible … use would be a civic facility. However, a hospitality venue, events venue, commercial or retail space would present opportunities to generate revenue to finance the cost of repair and strengthening work.”
Estimates from quantity surveyor Rhodes + Associates, appended to Stevens’ report, put the repair bill at $5.3m, like-for-like replacement at $10.4m and a replacement replica $6m. CPT could apply to the Department of Internal Affairs Lottery, Environment and Heritage fund for assistance, she said. The council will consider all submissions on
PC14 and make a decision by September.
Anglican Bishop Peter
Carrell told The Press if its heritage status was not lifted the St James would be left as is. “Spending circa $5m … on strengthening and repairing a building that the parish and diocese has no use for, and would be sold for much less, is not economic.”
The Riccarton Rd site has an RV of $3.7m. The land alone is valued at $3.4m. The deadlock over its future echoed somewhat the dilemma of Christ Church Cathedral.
This month, The Press revealed the cost to restore the stricken building had soared to nearly $250m and $30m was needed by August or the building would be mothballed. Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Ltd (CCRL) aimed to raise another $26m in donations and the church was contributing $16m on top of $33m of insurance proceeds, but a $114m funding hole remained.
Last week, CCRL chairperson Mark Stewart, chair of Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Ltd, briefed councillors and appeared to present one problem as a solution to the other. Discussing fundraising efforts, he cited the St James languishing unsold for years.
“Nobody wants to buy it with the heritage order on it,” he said. “If you could kindly remove that … then that would most likely end up with more money coming into our church.”
Carrell told The Press even if the status
“Spending circa $5m … on strengthening and repairing a building that the parish and diocese has no use for, and would be sold for much less, is not economic.” Bishop Peter Carrell
was a lifted and a sale completed, the money by law had to be used for the benefit of the Spreydon-Riccarton parish, “even if the parish wished the proceeds to be applied outside the parish area”.
The $16m would likely come from assets of two dissolved central city parishes - St Luke’s and St John’s - Carrell said. $3.8m from the sale of the St Luke’s site on the corner of Kilmore and Manchester streets had already been transferred to the cathedral coffers. The remainder would be discussed at a synod called for June 22.
“I am not going to conduct that business via the pages of The Press,” Carrell said.