This report to RCP Ltd and University of Canterbury summarises the findings of a 5 month secondment to the CERA Port Hills Land Clearance Team. Improvement strategies were initiated and observed. The Port Hills Land Clearance Programme is the undertaking of the demolition of all built structures from the Crown’s compulsory acquired 714 residential red zoned properties. These properties are zoned red due to an elevated life risk as a result of geotechnical land uncertainty following the 2011 Canterbury Earthquakes.
A photograph of the former site of the house at 432 Oxford Street. The house was demolished after the land was zoned Red. Grass has begun to grow over the site. The houses in the neighbouring sites have also been demolished.
A decision on the future of Christchurch's red zoned land could be made within a year. That's the hope of the man at the helm of Regenerate Christchurch, one of two organisations charged with taking over the city's rebuild from the Earthquake Recovery Authority, which shuts its doors in just three days.
A digitally manipulated image of liquefaction around a house in Avondale. The photographer comments, "The bottom of the gates were swallowed up by liquefaction, but the house still looked in good condition, which was confirmed by builders just going in to work on the property. It is in the Christchurch red zone, which after testing has been deemed unsuitable for houses to be built on. All the land will be bought by the Government and they would also buy any properties that could be repaired. The remaining insured property owners will get a payment from the insurance company. All the buildings are condemned to be knocked down".
TVs, shopping trolleys, beds, mattresses, even a gun. That is just some of the rubbish found by residents surrounding Christchurch's residential red zone. The area used to be filled with houses, but damage after the Canterbury earthquakes forced thousands of homes to be demolished. While many of the old suburban roads remain, the area now resembles a park. But it is now attracting those wanting to dump their rubbish for free - and Land Information NZ, which controls the land, has removed 25 tonnes of trash since January. Residents have had enough as well - with some taking matters into their own hands. Checkpoint reporter Logan Church has the story.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Lois Wright on the porch of her home of 45 years, built by her husband, Peter. 88 Kingsford Street, Horseshoe Lake. The land is red zoned here, so all the homes will be demolished and Lois must find another home. At this stage, she doesn't know where".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "27 Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "25 Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "23 Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "25 Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "23 Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "23 Seabreeze Close, Bexley".
The north end of the bridge on Gayhurst Road. During the earthquake, the bridge was forced about 15 centimetres towards the river, the land falling away under the road. Fencing has been placed around the footpath, and the road filled and resealed so that it can still be used by traffic.
A residential street in New Brighton. Liquefaction still lines the street, and lampposts are leaning in different directions. The photographer comments, "This is the New Brighton red zone, which is parallel to the Avon River. The area suffered serious liquefaction during the numerous earthquakes/aftershocks and the land is being bought by the government. Although the houses do not look too bad in the background they have suffered badly. On the day I took this picture the council had just hours before cut the grass, which made the area look less abandoned".
A digitally manipulated image of two chairs sitting among rubble. The photographer comments, "There is a strip of land that has been declared as the red zone. This means that the houses facing towards the tidal estuary must be abandoned as they are on land that has been declared uneconomic to repair after the Christchurch earthquakes. These chairs are at the front of one of these properties that will be bulldozed. These seem to be saying come hell or high water we will not be moved".
Cracks along the road in Avonside Drive. The riverbank has slumped towards the river, separating the land from the road and creating these cracks. Road cones warn drivers of the uneven surface. In the distance, a pile of liquefaction can be seen in front of a house.
Water from the river at high tide crosses Evans Avenue and enters a now abandoned "red zone" house via the garage. Next door (to the left) is the garage containing a car that was destroyed by fire last week (see earlier photos).
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "23 Seabreeze Close, Bexley. Look at the angles in this doorway and the pile of silt".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "23 Seabreeze Close, Bexley. The view through the window shows how much liquefaction collected in the garage".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "23 Seabreeze Close, Bexley. Through the window pane beside the door you can see silt piled about 30 cm high inside the house".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "23 Seabreeze Close, Bexley. The view through the window here shows the size of the silt piled against the front door".
A sign on a fence in Bexley reads "17 19 21. We are all home, smiling, staying positive, looking forward, A.J. included." The photographer comments, "These three neighbour families in the Bexley Christchurch red zone are all great friends. They are so fond of each other that they want to buy a big parcel of land and then build three homes next to each other".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "25 Seabreeze Close, Bexley. View through the window shows the crack in the floor slab, and a pile of silt in the corner of the room".