Internal report on church demolition cites “complete confusion” and lack of process.
The controversial demolition of an earthquake-damaged Christchurch church has been described as “complete confusion” after a report revealed a communication breakdown.
An internal Christchurch City Council report obtained under the Official Information Act concluded there were no processes in place to guide staff demolishing dangerously damaged buildings after the February 22 quake.
The Sydenham Heritage Church in Colombo St was demolished on February 24 without the knowledge of the Civil Defence national controller or the trust that owned the building.
Initially, the council said Southern Demolition demolished the building without authorisation, but the internal report exonerated the company, blaming instead a lack of “process”.
“No adverse comment can be made regarding the contractor, Southern Demolition, in this incident,” the report said. It showed Steve McCarthy, the council’s environmental policy and approvals unit manager, had sought legal advice on prosecuting the demolition company. “I am keen to pursue this matter because of the cynical nature of the demolition,” he said in a March 6 email, included in the report.
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