Council urged to reject earthquake legislation

Gallery of History vice-president Murray Holden with Tararua District Council regulatory manager Craig Lunn and Gallery of History volunteer Beth Holden at last week's council meeting.

By Sue Emeny
Tararua stands to lose many of its heritage buildings if Tararua District Council enforces more earthquake strengthening legislation, councillors were told at their meeting last week.

Dannevirke Gallery of History vice-president Murray Holden said proposed "priority thoroughfares", which are roads and footpaths where parts of unreinforced masonry buildings could fall on people in an earthquake, would have ramifications for all towns in the district.

In Dannevirke, the streets are SH2 between London and McPhee Sts, Miller St between SH2 and Denmark St, Barraud St between SH2 and Denmark St, Ward St between SH2 and Hall St, Gordon St between Hall and Denmark Sts and Allardice St between SH2 and Denmark St.

Holden said he felt the thoroughfares were an important issue and he was surprised he was the only person to speak to his submission.

"When I was researching this I saw a headline that said it is legislation that will ruin small towns, not earthquakes and this is true if you go ahead with these priority thoroughfares," Holden told councillors.

The Gordon St Gallery of History is in the 114-year-old former Dannevirke Courthouse.

"It has been through some major earthquakes and is still standing. I don't believe it will collapse any time soon."

He said Gordon St did not have a high concentration of workers, pedestrians or through traffic and if it was designated a priority thoroughfare the Gallery of History it would only have seven and a half years, rather than 15 years, to do earthquake strengthening work required.

"We will also have to raise funds to carry out the work and this could be in the order of $600,000 to $700,000 plus. Seven and a half years would not give us enough time to raise this huge amount of money."

He said for the Dannevirke community to thrive people needed to know its history.

"We are proud of our museum, which is full of local artefacts and historical memorabilia collected over many years. We also carry out family research and historical research historical information.

"If we cannot operate out of our building all this will be lost not only to the people of Dannevirke but also to New Zealanders and overseas tourists."

Holden urged the council to follow the lead of Rangitikei District Council in deciding not to enforce priority areas.

Holden told the councillors Rangitikei mayor Andy Watson told him that his council fully expected to be challenged by the Government for its stance.

"They inquired around the consultation process we used but decided that we had done everything correctly. I see no challenge to our decision being made," Watson said.

Holden said if the Tararua council did not make the same decision, some building owners forced to earthquake strengthen may hand over the keys to their buildings and walk away.

"The council will then be involved with expensive litigation, which I predict will end with the council having to pay for the cost of demolishing these buildings, which will be a major burden on ratepayers.

"What these towns will be left with is unsightly derelict buildings, which there are enough of already and, when they are demolished unsightly empty sites on the main streets of the towns."

Holden said Dannevirke had 11 heritage buildings and it was in danger of losing them all.

Mike Schaare and Sandy Ahern of Dart Panel and Paint objected to the prioritising of Barrard St stating there were few pedestrians and little traffic as pedestrians tended to use the New World carpark side of the street.

Dannevirke Community Board supported the proposed priorisations but suggested adding a area of Denmark St as it was a strategic route providing access to the Dannevirke Community Hospital and Dannevirke Fire Station.

The council will determine its response to all the submissions at its meeting this month and adopting the priority thoroughfares for earthquake-prone buildings would be done at the December meeting.