City Housing residents to be re-housed

Christchurch City Council is closing part of the HP Smith Courts City Housing Complex in Richmond after engineering investigations identified significant structural damage.

All affected residents in the seven social housing units will be offered an alternative place to live and support from social agencies.

City Housing staff will help a resident living in the most damaged unit to move to another unit today while the six other affected residents will be given assistance to move over the next week as their units are less damaged. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, these residents must be given seven days' notice.

Housing Committee Chair Glenn Livingstone says this is a distressing time for residents but Council staff are doing all they can to ensure residents are well supported.

"The Council had already carried out a Detailed Engineering Evaluation of this complex, which showed it was fit to occupy. However, with new information now available, our staff have acted immediately to protect residents' safety. We are pleased that we have been able to find alternative housing for them so quickly. Our thoughts are with residents at this time."

Hagley/Ferrymead Councillor Paul Lonsdale says the Council is keeping all residents in the complex fully informed and reassuring them their safety is of the highest priority.
"Although the six other affected tenants have seven days to move, we'll help them to move out sooner if they wish."

A Detailed Engineering Evaluation (DEE) carried out last year showed the complex was 35 per cent of New Building Standard and could therefore remain open under Council occupancy guidelines. However, the DEE recommended that further intrusive investigations should be carried out for insurance purposes. It was during these investigations, completed yesterday, that more structural damage was identified.

Residents living in another block of eight units in the complex will remain there. Previous assessments show this block has minimal damage. However, engineers will be carrying out further intrusive investigations to confirm this is the case.

The assessments are being carried out under the Council's Facilities Rebuild Programme. For more information visit www.ccc.govt.nz/facilitiesrebuild

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