Owners of earthquake-damaged homes in Canterbury may be encouraged by a Fletcher Construction announcement that the first project management site office is being set up in Halswell in the south-west of Christchurch.For many of the 50,000 affected homeowne
Owners of earthquake-damaged homes in Canterbury may be encouraged by a Fletcher Construction announcement that the first project management site office is being set up in Halswell in the south-west of Christchurch.
For many of the 50,000 affected homeowners the wait has been agonisingly long.
Offices will subsequently be established in Rolleston and Kaiapoi once locations have been agreed with the local council. The timetable is for the week commencing November 8.
The locations have been chosen so work can begin on homes that are not affected by land remediation. More locations will be announced as Fletcher Construction develops a working relationship with Christchurch city, Waimakariri District and Selwyn district.
Site offices will be set up throughout the region, enabling all repair work to be managed locally, and therefore close to homeowners and communities, according to Fletchers.
Chief executive infrastructure of Fletcher Building, Mark Binns, said people will see the first visible activity. He was pleased with the response from local contractors who would undertake the work. More than 600 contractors and trades people had made contact through the earthquake recovery website eqr.co.nz and accreditation was under way.
“Whilst it was important for the work to get under way as quickly as possible, it is also vital that systems are set up to ensure that claims are dealt with efficiently and resources are managed effectively,” Mr Binns said.
Meanwhile, a Placemakers outlet in Riccarton is laying off about eight staff, victims of the immediate downturn in business that hit the region after the September 4 earthquake.
Other tradesmen and small business owners are also out of work. At least one tradesman said that the emergence of Fletchers as the project manager was viewed with mixed feelings because of perceptions of monopolistic behaviour towards contractors.
But successfully tendering for the Earthquake Commission’s earthquake project manager means Fletchers holds the whip hand.
