‘Make safe’ work for on Heathcote Voluntary Library
Monday 2 September 2013
‘Make safe’ work to be carried out on Heathcote Voluntary Library
Christchurch City Council is beginning ‘make safe’ work on the closed Heathcote Voluntary Library in Martindales Road, which is expected to take up to four days to complete.
The make safe work will enable users to retrieve books and other items from the building. It will also ensure the building does not deteriorate further. The work will include attaching plywood to parts of the building and putting in supports for the roof.
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) has
issued a Section 38 Notice of Demolition for the building
because it is considered to be unsafe. In February this
year, the Council announced it would comply with the Section
38 notice for the closed voluntary library
building.
However, in March this year the Council
requested a halt to the demolition and to support in
principle to repair or rebuild it. It also agreed to respond
to CERA with a ‘make safe’ plan for the building.
The
make safe work will ensure engineers can safely carry out
further assessments of the voluntary library building. More
investigations are currently being carried out to look at
options for a joint facility, possibly with the nearby
earthquake-damaged Heathcote Community Centre on Bridle Path
Road. Recommendations about a way forward will be made to
the Council’s Community, Recreation and Culture Committee,
followed by the full Council.
Council General Manager Community Services Michael Aitken says, “This work will ensure that public safety is protected while further assessments are carried out. These, along with investigations currently being carried out on the nearby community centre, will help to inform any recommendations about the future of the voluntary library building.”
The Council’s 10 voluntary libraries are collectively one of its top 30 projects that were prioritised for funding, further investigation and, where possible, repair in September last year.
For more information about the Council’s Facilities Rebuild Plan project, visit www.futurechristchurch.co.nz
ENDS