Very few Cantabrians will be forced to relocate because their land is beyond cost-effective repair, the minister in charge of earthquake recovery, Gerry Brownlee, says.The geotechnical report delivered by consultant engineers to the Earthquake Commission
Very few Cantabrians will be forced to relocate because their land is beyond cost-effective repair, the minister in charge of earthquake recovery, Gerry Brownlee, says.
The geotechnical report delivered by consultant engineers to the Earthquake Commission (EQC) was good news for the vast majority of residents, he said today.
"I know the issue which is uppermost in the minds of many Cantabrians is the public release of the geotechnical reports that show which areas are damaged, and how badly they are damaged," he said.
"But to avoid conjecture and misunderstanding, which may cause stress to residents, this has to be released in conjunction with the government's decisions on what will be done to address the damage in each affected area."
Those decisions would be based on information from the EQC and its consultant engineers.
The EQC would meet today to make decisions which would be used for a cabinet paper to be considered on Monday.
"I expect the underlying message to be good news for the people of Canterbury, with the vast majority of land able to be repaired," he said.
"So even if houses are significantly damaged and require demolition, all but a handful of Cantabrians will be able to rebuild on their original site once the land is repaired."
Mr Brownlee said that depending on the outcome of the cabinet meeting, he intended briefing the three affected councils next week on the government's plans.
Soon after that, the geotechnical maps of each damaged suburb would be released, along with an agreed plan for fixing the land in those suburbs and the indicative costs and timelines for completing the work.
"This will not provide answers to every question but it will outline the government's approach and a timeline for working through the issues of land repair, construction and accommodation over the months ahead," he said.
