CHCH REBUILD | News

[metroman]

http://www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz...ng-foundations

[jarden]

Originally Posted by nthbeach

This is depressing, and 4 levels, this is madness, especially when you are trying to increase the density of city and restrict sprawl.

Probably the last potential investor will be leaving now and CHC will be forever a ghost town full of vacant lots that no one will develop on.

[metroman]

This is a topic which has been speculated about before. Maybe there is a deliberate ploy to appease a certain group. Judging by some of the comments in the press and I am very sure the general public, there appears to be a view that they are necessary for the future of the city. Surely logic will prevail on this.

[KaneD]

Originally Posted by jarden

Probably the last potential investor will be leaving now and CHC will be forever a ghost town full of vacant lots that no one will develop on.

Talk about being a doomsayer... Actually there is a lot of work on the cards but yes, in principle I do agree that 3-4 levels for residential is ridiculous and does nothing for encouraging the very thing that public transport thrives on... living density.

[JeremyM2]

This small-town mentality is seriously doing my head in

I've always dreamed about one day owning an apartment with city views, and at one point a few years back Christchurch was showing promise in this regard with their intention to get more people living in the inner city with high density apartments etc - their target was something along the lines of increasing the inner city population from 8,000 to 30,000 by 2026. There were developments in the pipeline - as I recall, the original plan for the site where the new Press building is located proposed two high rise apartment towers (one either side of the Press building).

Nowadays Christchurch is a different place. I guess if I want that city view apartment I'll need to move elsewhere.

[SYDNEY]

Shops and bars return to Christchurch CBD

Shops and bars will open in downtown Christchurch next month for the first time since the February 22 earthquake two years ago. The city's inner business district has been off limits since the 2011 quake that changed the cityscape forever. A red zone around the CBD, guarded by soldiers, has allowed demolition experts to safely bring down hundreds of crippled buildings, in a painstakingly slow but inevitable process which has paved the way for a rebuild. Last year was a year of diggers and rubble trucks, says Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee. The aftershocks have since tailed off, with GNS now predicting the chance of a magnitude 5.5 to 5.9 shake hitting in the next month being just 3 per cent. And so 2013 will be the year of the $30 billion rebuild, Mr Brownlee told domestic and international journalists visiting Christchurch yesterday ahead of the second anniversary of the February 22 quake, which claimed 185 lives. The media were given a tour of the red zone, which has shrunk from 387 hectares in the days after the killer quake to just 38 hectares today ... MORE

[Milan Luka]

I'd pay no attention to the article- it's only a recommendation. It goes against what's already in the draft plan. My experience with New Zealand is that proposals mean nothing. I wait til I see it in place before I get excited/start losing sleep.

And business will go where there's money to be made. There has been next to no flight capital as predicted by the doomsayers/those with a vested interest. No one is going to turn their back on Christchurch because they can't build a 30 storey tower here.

Our best hope is in the hospitality sector. Copthorne, Holiday Inn, Grand Chancellor will rebuild and they will want to get maximum bang for their buck. There is already a demand for hotel rooms which will only increase. The George and Ibis are raking it in, the Latimer Hotel is busting a gut to get open.

As for the heights of rebuilt hotels- tourists couldn't give a shit about the fears some locals might have about be in a tall tower in an earthquake zone.

And Jeremy, there's always going to be people who like living off the ground- there'll be demand for some taller apartment towers. It might take a decade before we start seeing things proposed- I'll be the first in line.

[SYDNEY]

Private sites considered for quake memorial

The Government is considering taking land to build Christchurch's earthquake memorial but is staying tight-lipped on where it will go. The memorial, sanctioned under the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan and overseen by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, will be unveiled on February 22, 2016 - the fifth anniversary of the tragedy. The man leading the project for the ministry, deputy chief executive Ronald Milne, confirmed privately-owned sites were being considered, and, if one was chosen, would have a significant effect on whether the project's entire $10 million budget was used. "If we don't have to acquire land, the cost of the memorial will probably be very much less," he said. Milne was coy about possible locations, and an announcement is not due until later this year. A location shortlist was created from 13 central-city sites, he said. "Some of them were non-starters for one reason or another. "They have their pluses and minuses. We'll explain the rationale when we talk about site selection." The memorial's location is a sensitive topic, and was deliberately left out of last year's 100-day central city blueprint. A memorial on the site of a major loss of life, such as that of the CTV building, could be seen to underplay the significance of lives lost elsewhere. A ‘neutral' location is likely. When a site is chosen, an international design competition will be launched ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Insurers race the rebuild clock

A third of the most badly quake-damaged homes in Canterbury have had their insurance claims settled, but insurers are facing huge work rates to meet ambitious building deadlines. About 18,500 properties were so badly hit in the earthquakes that the damage bill exceeded the Earthquake Commission's $100,000 liability cap and they were referred to private insurers for major repairs or rebuilds. So far, 3600 have been fixed or cash-settled and another 2200 were in the design and construction phase. However, just 400 homes have been repaired or rebuilt to date, with another 650 new home builds and 500 major repairs due in the next six months. Most insurers have set deadlines of the end of 2015 to have work on all properties complete. Insurance Council chief executive Tim Grafton said there was no question they had to move faster. "Absolutely. To meet those deadlines [work] will ramp up considerably. It obviously has to . . . to meet the deadlines that have been set." In December, Southern Response, the claims management company handling AMI's quake claims, said it was not happy with its rebuild progress. It expected it would rebuild about 3500 houses, or half of its over-cap claims ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Life in post-disaster Christchurch improving - survey

Life in post-disaster Christchurch is continuing to improve, according to a new survey which has found three-quarters of residents say life is good. Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says Cantabrians' positivity and resilience has shone through in the results of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority's 2012 Wellbeing Survey. While most respondents reported experiencing stress that had a negative effect on them, 74 per cent rated their overall quality of life as good or extremely good. Only 7 per cent rated their quality of life as being poor or extremely poor. Conducted for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) by Nielsen Research between August and October 2012, the Wellbeing Survey garnered responses from 2381 residents selected randomly from the electoral roll in Christchurch city, the Waimakariri and Selwyn districts. Asked about positive outcomes arising from the earthquakes, 76 per cent had experienced pride in the ability to cope under difficult circumstances, 69 per cent increased resilience as a family, 68 per cent had a renewed appreciation of life, and 67 per cent a heightened sense of community ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Hotel hopes ride on Asian money

Asian property investors will be targeted to build hotels for the damaged Christchurch accommodation sector. Tourism boss Tim Hunter says overseas investors are needed, with not enough interest shown by local investors. The city's hotels were offering high yields that created an opportunity for further investment, and were the best performing in the country, Hunter added. The chief executive of Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism (CCT) will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to woo SouthEast Asian investors at a property investment seminar scheduled for March 11. "I will be doing a small presentation on what the recovery path for tourism looks like, and show them some of the stats in terms of what hotels can earn in the current environment in Christchurch," Hunter said. "And also what markets will come back the fastest, so they will get a sense of those high yield or low yield tourist markets that are going to drive the growth in hotels." Christchurch suffered the loss of a big chunk of its hotel rooms as a result of the 2011 earthquakes. The Ibis Christchurch reopened on September 4, 2012, and the Heritage Christchurch's Old Government Building (OGB) wing is to formally reopen on May 13. Other properties including the Rendezvous and Latimer (under construction) hotels are respectively due to open in May and September, according to CCT estimates ... MORE

[buildemhigh]

Originally Posted by SYDNEY

Hotel hopes ride on Asian money

Asian property investors will be targeted to build hotels for the damaged Christchurch accommodation sector. Tourism boss Tim Hunter says overseas investors are needed, with not enough interest shown by local investors. The city's hotels were offering high yields that created an opportunity for further investment, and were the best performing in the country, Hunter added. The chief executive of Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism (CCT) will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to woo SouthEast Asian investors at a property investment seminar scheduled for March 11. "I will be doing a small presentation on what the recovery path for tourism looks like, and show them some of the stats in terms of what hotels can earn in the current environment in Christchurch," Hunter said. "And also what markets will come back the fastest, so they will get a sense of those high yield or low yield tourist markets that are going to drive the growth in hotels." Christchurch suffered the loss of a big chunk of its hotel rooms as a result of the 2011 earthquakes. The Ibis Christchurch reopened on September 4, 2012, and the Heritage Christchurch's Old Government Building (OGB) wing is to formally reopen on May 13. Other properties including the Rendezvous and Latimer (under construction) hotels are respectively due to open in May and September, according to CCT estimates ... MORE

And pre earthquakes ChCh was oversupplied with Hotel Beds... it will be interesting to see who develops there

[jarden]

Originally Posted by Milan Luka

.

Our best hope is in the hospitality sector. Copthorne, Holiday Inn, Grand Chancellor will rebuild and they will want to get maximum bang for their buck. There is already a demand for hotel rooms which will only increase. The George and Ibis are raking it in, the Latimer Hotel is busting a gut to get open.

Milan, have you heard all these will be re-built, as I can only find through searching that just the Grand Chancellor are looking at new sites. Not the other two hotels.

[SYDNEY]

Precinct group eye city land

The business group behind plans to set up an international precinct in Christchurch wants the city council to lease it council land in the central city for a peppercorn rent. Taz Mukorombindo, of the Canterbury Business Association (CBA), told councillors yesterday they had identified the land in Welles St as the ideal site for the proposed precinct, which would include a large covered market. The idea for an international precinct was included in the central city draft plan submitted to Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee last year, but it was not in the final blueprint, so the CBA has been pushing forward with the idea itself. "Most modern cities have thriving markets . . . so why shouldn't we in Christchurch have our own?" Mukorombindo said. He had 50 signed expressions of interest from potential market operators and letters of support from various ethnic groups across the city. Mukorombindo said the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority and Ngai Tahu were also supportive of the proposed precinct. The tourism industry was very supportive of the idea and felt it could help revitalise the visitor experience in the city. Mukorombindo said the Welles St site had been selected as the best spot for the covered market because it was large and close to the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology and the bus exchange. "We think we can deliver a commercially viable plan [for a market] . . . that will have tangible community and social benefits," he said. The CBA was willing to enter a commercial agreement with the council over the lease of the land but was hoping to pay only a peppercorn rent initially.

[SYDNEY]

Looks as if they are going to rebuild the tower

Clarendon Tower owner wins case

The High Court has ordered the insurer of Christchurch's Clarendon Tower to pay the building owner the $30 million it was worth before rebuild work begins. The 17-storey Worcester St office building was badly damaged by the September 2010 and February 2011 quakes and condemned by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. Its demolition, overseen by recently failed Mainzeal Property and Construction, is all but finished. TJK (NZ) Ltd owns the building and insured it with Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, of Japan. Under the policy TJK could elect reinstatement, which it did, but insurer Mitsui refused to pay the indemnity of the building ($30m) before rebuilding work starts. The market value of the building was set at $30m, much less than the estimated $90m that could be needed to reinstate the tower. TJK went to the High Court in Christchurch arguing that Mitsui should pay the $30m value up front while it waited for the reinstatement. Mitsui believed it should hold the money until TJK has incurred the rebuilding costs. But in a summary judgment released yesterday, Justice Forrest Miller ruled Mitsui should pay TJK the $30m, as that was the agreement. "Earthquakes damaged Clarendon Tower so as to cause substantial loss for which Mitsui had promised to indemnify TJK. "On those agreed facts, and subject to proof of loss, Mitsui must pay TJK not less than the indemnity value of the building," the judgment said. Mitsui has paid millions of dollars towards repairs and demolition, without specifying what category of the cover it was for, Judge Miller's decision said ... MORE

[JeremyM2]

Originally Posted by SYDNEY

Looks as if they are going to rebuild the tower

Yum, just imagine! I won't believe it until I see it, but a brand spanking new 17 storey tower - Bring. It. On. (please!)

[jarden]

The company was committed to rebuilding the tower, he said

That is written at the bottom of the story, so it be great if they rebuild to the same height or higher as have great views over the avon from the west side. Hope the PWC does the same they got a bigger payout from their insurers.

[metroman]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/bus...n-mall-impasse

[SYDNEY]

$14m plan for rebuild in suburbs

The Christchurch City Council is proposing to spend nearly $14 million on helping the city's quake-hit suburban centres rebuild. Councillors yesterday voted to make funds available for some of the projects outlined in the suburban master plans prepared for Sydenham, Lyttelton, Linwood, Ferry Rd, New Brighton, Sumner and Edgeware. Those centres were among the worst-hit by the quakes. The master plans the council has drawn up for those centres carry no statutory weight but provide a framework for how the areas could be redeveloped. Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker told councillors yesterday he felt it was important the council demonstrated its commitment by putting some money aside in its draft three-year plan for key projects. "This is to ensure that as the community begins to fill plans out with bricks and mortar we are able to be there to play our part with the streetscape," the mayor said. He recommended the council put aside $13.8m over three years. The council will borrow the money and then repay the interest and debt through the Capital Endowment Fund, which it set up in 2001 using the $75m it received from Orion's sale of its North Island gas network. Resolutions passed by the council at the time mean the council cannot dip into the fund's capital without the approval of 80 per cent of the council, but it can spend income from the fund ... MORE

[jarden]

Listed hotel operator Millennium & Copthorne Hotels NZ is among a growing chorus of building owners calling for the removal of height restrictions that have been proposed for Christchurch's central business district, saying they do not make any sense.

All three of the group's central Christchurch hotels are closed.

Group managing director BK Chiu said the necessary engineering advice for the damaged Millennium Hotel Christchurch in Cathedral Square and the Copthorne Hotel Christchurch Central overlooking Victoria Square, was yet to be received by the company.

"That will be for the owners to make that call but they're aware of all the building restrictions and they're aware of the Christchurch draft plan, and ... there are lots of questions on that draft plan over whether they should rebuild or whether they want to rebuild.

"Many questions, because that draft plan has left more questions than answers."

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, in its submission on the plan, voiced concerns about restrictions on height and parking that might force groups arriving by coach to walk to the hotel.

But the biggest concerns are those height restrictions." They would limit the number of hotel rooms to 80 rather than 160 rooms, which was not economic.

The group, which directly owns the hotel on Victoria Square, said it had submitted that the draft's restriction of buildings to five and seven storeys was too low. Asked if the investors would rebuild on the Durham St demolition site, Chiu said that decision still had to be made.

So not definite that they will rebuild. If they would cancel the height restriction plans they maybe more interested I reckon.