Three options for Christ Church Cathedral
Busch loses grievance case against receivers
Which one of these concepts would you like to see realised in the heart of Christchurch?
These are the three options Anglican leaders are proposing to replace the earthquake-damaged Christ Church Cathedral – and they want to know what you think.
The three options due to be unveiled by the church today are a complete restoration, a reinterpretation of the neo-Gothic cathedral in modern materials, and a completely new building.
All three designs incorporate the iconic Rose Window in the west wall facing Cathedral Square.
The restoration option would cost the most and could take the longest to complete, but would involve the demolished spire being rebuilt.
Anglican leaders believe a restored cathedral could meet building codes, but would not be as seismically resistant as a new building.
The traditional option would reinterpret the original cathedral in modern materials, but the internal spaces would be reconfigured.
The modern option would feature a lightweight timber frame, more glazing and modern interiors.
The three designs are being made public as part of a consultation process on the future of the cathedral. Newspaper readers, the public, local officials and the wider Anglican church will be consulted before Anglican leaders decide the fate of the building after consultation closes on May 2.
The process will include consulting the Great Christchurch Buildings Trust, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, Christchurch City Council and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
Anglican leaders will invite the bodies to meet, discuss the options and provide written feedback.
Bishop Victoria Matthews has not expressed a preference, but in an opinion piece in the Christchurch Press today says: ‘‘The cathedral needs to encourage the mission of God across the region and beyond. This means having a new cathedral in the Square in a reasonable time frame and a beautiful building that will not cost so much that the cathedral is built at the expense of ministry to and by the people.’’
The modern design is the cheapest and fastest option, taking less than 10 years and costing between $56 million and $74m to build.
The Press is supporting a public forum to allow people to ask questions about the Christ Church Cathedral options. The forum features a panel comprising representatives of the diocese, ar- chitects Warren and Mahoney, and project managers RCP.
It will be held at 7.30pm on April 10, in the conference space at the Westpac Business & Community Hub, 55 Jack Hinton Drive, Addington (next to the CBS Canterbury Arena). The sister of former Zion Wildlife Gardens owner Craig ‘‘The Lion Man’’ Busch has failed in a bid to lay a personal grievance against the park’s receivers for being laid off, claiming she was too traumatised by being fired to do so within the required time.
Megan Busch said the receivers ‘‘breached their duty to provide her with a safe and healthy working environment’’, according to a just-issued Employment Relations Authority decision.
Ms Busch laid a grievance claim with the authority in April last year, just outside the statutory 90-day time limit, on the grounds that she had suffered depression, shock and a nervous breakdown when she was blocked from entering the park after being made redundant.
The authority only accepts grievances laid outside the statutory 90-day time frame under exceptional circumstances.
Ms Busch was hired by the receivers in September 2011, two months after the Zion Wildlife Gardens went into receivership.
She received a letter on January 31, 2012, terminating her employment.
On the same day, she went to Zion but her access was blocked by police and a number of other men, authority member Eleanor Robinson said in her ruling.
When Ms Busch refused to leave the premises, she was arrested for trespassing and claimed she had been manhandled by police.
She claimed in media reports that she had been trying to remove ‘‘two $30,000 horses and other items’’ from the premises.
A report by psychologist Carolyn Mills that was provided to the authority backed Ms Busch’s claim of being traumatised, saying she ‘‘cannot remember things and cannot focus on the road when she is driving or doing anything that requires concentration’’.
In its decision, the authority said the evidence presented did not support Ms Busch’s claim she was traumatised as her actions in those 90 days showed she was able to ‘‘process information and make rational decisions’’.
Ms Busch had taken part in an interview with Campbell Live on February 14, 2012, about an incident at the park.
She also gave an interview to a newspaper two months later.
‘‘I do not consider that an applicant who is able to interface successfully with the media as Ms Busch has been shown to have done on two separate occasions some 60 days apart would have been unable to properly consider raising a personal grievance in the same period of time or indeed within the 90-day period,’’ Ms Robinson said.