Christchurch - CBD - Red Zone in November 2011

 

     

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 


 

New foundation design categories for Canterbury

Three new categories for residential foundation design have been developed and will be required for repairing and rebuilding homes in Canterbury following the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.The categories, and the areas they apply to, are based on ground conditions, including the susceptibility to liquefaction, and the extent of land and building damage caused by the earthquakes.

  • Technical Category 1 (TC1)
     Properties in TC1 (grey) are unlikely to experience significant land damage from liquefaction in future earthquakes. Standard concrete slabs and timber floors are acceptable for foundation repairs or rebuilds.
  • Technical Category 2 (TC2)
     For properties in TC2 (yellow), minor to moderate land damage from liquefaction is possible in future significant earthquakes. Lightweight construction, for example corrugated iron not tiled roofs, or enhanced foundations such as more robust floor slabs that better tie the structure together will be required for foundation repairs or rebuilds.
  • Technical Category 3 (TC3)
     For properties in TC3 (blue), moderate to significant land damage from liquefaction is possible in future significant earthquakes. Foundation solutions should be based on site-specific geotechnical investigation and specific engineering foundation design where foundation repairs or rebuilds are needed. This might involve deep pile solutions.

 

Source: cera.govt.nz

Christchurch Red Zone

Most of Port Hills land now zoned green - Cabinet Announcement

05 Sep 2011
 

More than 9700 residential properties in the Christchurch Port Hills area have been rezoned from white to green, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee announced today.

"This means these homeowners can now get on with the process of repairing or rebuilding their homes if they were damaged by the earthquakes," Mr Brownlee said.

Cabinet met today in Christchurch and approved the rezoning of the majority of land in the Port Hills into the green zone. About 3700 properties remain in the white zone as further investigation is needed.

"The issues in the Port Hills are different to those in the low lying plains areas where there has generally been widespread land damage from liquefaction and lateral spreading," Mr Brownlee said.

"In the Port Hills, the issues have largely involved potential rock fall, cliff collapse, land slips and risks of that nature."

Mr Brownlee said extensive geotechnical assessment supported the decision to rezone most of the Port Hills to green as it had shown a low geotechnical hazard risk.

"There will be some cases in these newly classified green zone areas where properties have land damage which may require further geotechnical assessment before building or rebuilding can occur. This will be dealt with by EQC and insurance companies under normal insurance processes."

Mr Brownlee said more Port Hills land would be rezoned green soon, once further investigation and assessment was completed.

"For some others in the Port Hills it will take a bit longer while some complex issues involving life safety risks and geotechnical hazards are worked through with the Christchurch City Council.

"I understand it’s frustrating for people having to wait, but we’ve got to make sure we fully understand the risks and options around this land.  Everything possible is being done to give people certainty as soon as we can."

The special Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) website http://www.landcheck.govt.nz/ is being updated to reflect the new zoning and the changes will be live later today.

A letter from CERA will also be posted to the Port Hills area homeowners with further information tomorrow. CERA will hold four community meetings this week in the Port Hills area in Sumner, Lyttelton, Cashmere, and Diamond Harbour staring this Wednesday. A full schedule is available on www.cera.govt.nz.

CERA is responsible for rebuilding greater Christchurch and its surrounds, and supporting the welfare of its residents.

Source: http://canterbury.eqc.govt.nz

Red Zone residents get 50k deposit

“...For those who accept the government’s offer, a deposit of the lesser of 50 per cent of the purchase price (less any insurance payments already made), or $50,000 will be paid soon after the agreement is signed.”

If a homeowner chooses to accept the government’s offer to purchase their entire property then the government will contribute up to 50 per cent of their legal costs, up to a maximum of $750.

If they choose to accept the government’s offer to purchase the land only, then the government will contribute up to 50 per cent of their legal costs. For homeowners who choose Option 1, this will be up to a maximum of $750, and for Option 2, a cap of $500 applies.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee said there were still a lot of technical details to be worked through around the government’s offers to purchase.

“However, we wanted to release some details as early as possible so homeowners, many of whom have raised quite understandable queries, can be better informed to consider the right course of action,” Mr Brownlee said.

There are currently around 5000 properties in Canterbury in the residential red zone because their land is badly damaged from the earthquakes and is unlikely to be suitable for residential occupation for a considerable period of time.

 

On 23 June the government announced it will make an offer to buy the properties of homeowners with insurance in the residential red zone so they can get on with their lives quicker.

CERA is responsible for rebuilding greater Christchurch and its surrounds, and supporting the welfare of its residents. 

 Source: beehive.govt.nz

June 2011

For more information follow the links below:

cera.govt.nz/      www.landcheck.org.nz/        www.ccc.govt.nz/