Chch building cordoned off after engineer airs concerns

A Christchurch building housing five businesses will be cordoned off this afternoon after concerns were raised about its structural integrity.

The building at 111 Riccarton Road was brought to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority's attention by an engineer working on behalf of a building owner's loss adjustor.

His concerns about the building led to Cera engineers checking it yesterday and they advised Warwick Isaacs, Cera general manager Operations, that the building needed to be closed.

"At the very least there is more work that needs to be done to confirm the state of the building and in turn make the appropriate decision on the future of the building.

Further work is required before a final decision is made and this will be done as soon as possible,'' Mr Isaacs said in a statement.

The building would be closed under Section 45 of the CER Act, which restricts access to the building. This would affect five businesses and numerous staff, which Mr Isaacs said was frustrating and upsetting for those people.

"My main concern is keeping the public safe from potential or ongoing seismic activity. Leaving safety to chance is just not worth the risk.''

The closure would also affect parking and traffic flow on Riccarton Road and Rotheram Street.

 

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