Martin said the land purchase talks were part of an assessment of three options for the 113-year-old Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament which was severely damaged in an earthquake in February 2011.

The three options are

• Demolish the cathedral and build on a new site
• Restore the original building for an estimated $105 million, though Martin believes it could cost more
• Demolish and rebuild on the same site

"If we are not going to rebuild at the cathedral site, the desire is to be based in the city," Martin said.

"If we were able to get a site that was suitable, that would make a difference to our final decision.

"There is no point saying we won't rebuild and then not being able to find a suitable new site."

The Catholic church was granted a section 38 notice in August 2015 in order to partially deconstruct the earthquake-damaged cathedral.

A spokesman for Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) confirmed that section 38 notice for the cathedral was still valid, but that was subject to some conditions like providing a detailed demolition plan.

Martin said the cathedral could be demolished under the notice if it were deemed too expensive to restore.

The church has a $30m insurance payout for the building but would need to raise any funds beyond that.

"If the funding is not available and it is prohibitive in the end, that is why demolition is an option," he said.

"Finances will certainly be an element, it is a pretty major element."

He said an option would be chosen early next year.

The cathedral is a category one heritage building.

Heritage New Zealand southern director Sheila Watson said demolition had not been presented to them as a serious proposal.

"Once again we would lose heritage, but if that is the law, that is the law.

"They have been working quite closely with us so we would expect to talk to them."

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: theguardian.com

The Bishop of Christchurch, Paul Martin, said he is still considering whether to restore the cathedral, knock it down and build a new one, or move to a new site.

In May, Martin said he was sceptical the $105 million restoration budget for the cathedral would not increase. He also questioned the morality of raising the $70m shortfall for the cathedral when it could be spent on other priorities in the city.

He has also put all planned Catholic building projects in Christchurch on hold while a review of parish and church numbers in the city is conducted.

"We are looking at the number of priests and where our people are and where the city has developed," he said.

"It is an overall review. Do we have too many churches across the city? [We will look at] the financial implications of insurance and running all those buildings."

He said the review may result in fewer Catholic parishes in the city.

"I would be surprised if we didn't, but people are very connected to their parishes so we have to be very sensitive to that."

Martin said the review would conclude at the same time as a decision is reached on the cathedral.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

The 12 panels, four of which have been printed with an interactive QR code, have created a timeline from 1860 to the present.

When the code is canned with a mobile phone, you can take a 360-degree interior tour of the Cathedral (prior to the quake), look at a slideshow of 25 archival construction photographs with comment and see drone footage of the interior of the building, and other video coverage, taken since the earthquakes.

Fr Rick Loughnan, Administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch, said that there was much interest in the Cathedral, its history and its present state.

"The panels create a timeline dating back to 1860 and the QR codes show the interior of the Cathedral in its full grandeur and what we have today."

"We had noticed that tourists have been squeezing their phones through the gates to takes photos of the Cathedral."

"Through the QR codes they will now have access to photos, videos and a drone fly-through which will allow them to compare the past and present," he said.

The City Council has allocated a coach stop for tour buses in front of the fence.

View a video of Fr Rick Loughnan speaking about the new panels on the Cathedral fence.

Source

• www.chch.catholic.org.nz
• Image: Screenshot dropbox.com

Otago Community Trust, chief executive Barbara Bridger said the Trust was pleased to provide support to the restoration of the category one Heritage New Zealand building.

"The preservation of the Dominican Priory will be a major enhancement to Dunedin City. It is one of Dunedin's iconic buildings and its restoration will complement the growing interest in and appreciation of Dunedin as a heritage city."

Last year, the Dunedin City Council Heritage Fund committed $100,000 to the project.

The priory redevelopment group has budgeted $900,000 for the project, $680,000 of which has been awarded in grants.

Despite needing a further $220,000, work on the project has begun.

The Welsh slate roof of the 140-year-old buildings has numerous holes which have caused water damage in some of the building's 70 rooms.

"The interior of the building is largely concrete, so while there is water damage, the engineers have still described the building as remarkably sound." Priory redevelopment coordinator, Sean Toomey, told the Otago Daily Times.

He said 30,000 slates has been ordered from Wales and would arrive in June.

"The funding really is the critical bit that has made it possible."

The redevelopment team would not seek to redevelop the building's interior, Toomey said.

"In the past, it [the roof damage] has maybe deterred people from taking it on.

"The limit of this is to make the building weather tight for someone else to take on."

It was hoped the project would take four months, after which time it would be available for development.

"It will be absolutely stunning when it is done, rather than if it is done," Toomey said.

Source

• voxy.co.nz
• odt.co.nz
• Heritage Quarterly Spring 2016
• Image: Heritage Quarterly Spring 2016

In submissions lodged on the Christchurch Replacement District Plan (CRDP) the two dioceses argue the proposed planning rules focus too heavily on preserving heritage buildings at all costs and ignore the fact that sometimes full or partial demolition is the best course of action.

The dioceses appear to have collaborated on the submissions as some of the points made in them are almost identical.

The Catholic diocese, in its submission, said the provisions in the natural and cultural heritage chapter of the CRDP did not adequately recognise the extent to which some heritage buildings had suffered earthquake damage and the extensive repair works required for those buildings.

Under that chapter of the CRDP the council is proposing to put in place policies to protect important heritage buildings and places from inappropriate subdivision or development.

It has suggested using a two-tier system to identify those buildings and places that deserve to be protected because they are culturally or historically significant.

The Catholic diocese said while it accepted earthquake damage did not in itself justify deconstruction, there were a number of heritage buildings remaining where repairs were completely uneconomic, particularly for owners who did not derive a commercial income.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: Stuff.co.nz