Post-quake demolition bill tops $115 million and is still rising.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority’s (Cera) demolition budget has more than doubled since last October, but the authority cannot put a figure on Christchurch’s total demolition bill.
Cera has $115 million to spend on demolitions, up from $50m in October, almost all of which will be recovered from building owners through insurance. It has spent $59.84m to the end of March.
Seven hundred and seventy-one central-city buildings have been demolished so far. One hundred and fifteen more are slated to come down within the central-city cordon and 63 outside of it.
Those numbers could rise if pending engineering evaluations deem buildings irreparable or building owners’ insurers rule them uneconomic to repair.
Cera deputy general manager of operations Baden Ewart said the $115m figure was the authority’s best estimate of what would be required.
“The money that’s been budgeted was an estimate of the buildings that Cera would act as the principal [demolition agent]. We had to go to the government for an amount of money,” he said.
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