Christchurch City councilors give go ahead for demolition of earthquake-hit building.
Heritage supporters are mourning the impending demolition of Manchester Courts, but its owner and most Christchurch City councilors say there is no choice.
Just three days before the local body elections, councillors made what some called one of their toughest decisions, to demolish the city’s first commercial high-rise building.
The plan is to knock down the earthquake-hit building floor by floor.
Staff told yesterday’s special council meeting the 104-year-old Manchester Courts building, on the corner of Manchester and Hereford streets, and the Angus Donaldson building in Colombo St, Sydenham, presented an immediate danger.
The council voted 10-2 to give acting council chief executive Peter Mitchell powers to issue a demolition warrant for the Manchester St property, while there was unanimous support to demolish the Sydenham building.
Using warrants avoided the resource consent process, which could have taken 18 months.
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