Status of Council facilities now available on website

The public can now check what is happening with Christchurch City Council-owned facilities via a new tool on the Council website being launched today (Tuesday 3 April).

The website tool has been developed as part of the Council’s Facilities Rebuild Plan project, which is looking at the future of the Council’s 1600 facilities, following the earthquakes.

It will allow the public to search for information on whether a building is open, closed or demolished. It will also be possible to see the level of engineering assessment a building has undergone and when it is expected to receive a Detailed Engineering Evaluation (DEE) assessment. The decision made about a building is also searchable via the website tool. There are a number of possible scenarios for a building, including to repair, rebuild, or demolish and not replace.

The Council is carrying out DEE assessments to help it determine in more detail the level of damage its buildings have sustained and their ability to withstand future earthquakes. These DEEs will also help to inform decision-making about a building, alongside a number of other considerations such as discussions with insurers.

General Manager Community Services and Facilities Rebuild Project Sponsor Michael Aitken says the easy-to-use database will help to give the public some clarity about what is happening with Council-owned facilities.

“Due to the sheer number of buildings in the Facilities Rebuild Plan project, we know that it will take two years for assessments on all our buildings to be completed. As a result, it is also going to take some time for decisions to be made. This website tool will allow the public to be able to track the progress of buildings they are interested in.”

The new tool is available at www.ccc.govt.nz/facilitiesrebuild, along with information about the Council’s Facilities Rebuild Plan project.

Engineering reports for Council-owned facilities will eventually be downloadable via the website tool.