JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

8 March 2013

Lower Hutt Mayor Ray Wallace
Chair of Jackson Street Programme Committee Leonie dobbs

Call to ‘act now’ on assessing Jackson Street heritage buildings

Owners of earthquake – prone buildings in the Jackson Street Heritage Precinct are being advised to act now to assess structural weaknesses in their buildings.

This follows a meeting hosted by the Jackson Street Programme (JSP), Petone Historical Society, Historic Places Trust, NZ Society of Earthquake Engineers and Hutt City Council.

Mayor of Lower Hutt, Ray Wallace, and JSP chair, Leonie Dobbs, say the message from the meeting was very clear.

“The Christchurch earthquake is making a tremendous draw on resources including engineers – property owners need to act now to determine structural weaknesses and come up with options and a work plan.

“There has also been some concern among building owners and businesses in Jackson Street that earthquake strengthening will require significant investment. This could affect the viability of smaller businesses faced with higher rents.

“The key to the meeting was to provide information and those who attended went away a lot wiser and able to manage the task ahead of them.

“We see this meeting as a first step in sharing information between Heritage Precinct property owners, businesses, and the Council in resolving the strengthening issues.

“Hutt City council already offers a facilitation services where owners of a block of buildings can get together to negotiate a group solution.

“The meeting was a very good start,” they said.

Presenters at the meeting included Win Clark, Executive Officer New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering, Simone Naylor, Corporate Executive Director, Aon New Zealand, and Ann Neil, Central Region Manager, New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

ENDS

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