Stabilising work to start on Christ Church Cathedral

People will soon see work happening on Christ Church Cathedral as the process of stabilising the earthquake damaged building gets under way.

The stabilisation work will begin shortly and will involve progressively reducing the hazards associated with the building and making it safer for workers. 

Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited Project Director Keith Paterson says as stabilisation progresses and provides the necessary support to the damaged areas, workers will be able to enter the building under controlled conditions and carry out further physical investigations.

“This investigative work is key in informing the next step in the construction sequence, which is strengthening.

“Very soon we’ll establish the site offices and prepare the site for construction and then from around August people will progressively see steel framing and scaffolding being erected, and later on, temporary weather-proofing.

“The sequence of work includes some deconstruction of badly damaged sections of the Cathedral.  This is needed to provide access to the interior and manage hazards, and these parts of the building will be later reinstated. The removal of the more recent additions to the Cathedral will give safer and faster access to stabilise the main Cathedral.

“The stabilisation phase is expected to take 18 to 24 months.  While aspects of the building will look different during this period, the structure of the Cathedral will be supported in place and once reinstated the Cathedral will look very similar,” Mr Paterson says.

Anglican Bishop of Christchurch, Peter Carrell, says he’s delighted that people will shortly see work happening.

“A lot of work has happened to date, mostly behind the scenes in planning, procedural and safety spaces. Now that physical work can begin, the site will have activity, which is energising and exciting. We can rejoice that the journey to reinstate a living Cathedral back in the centre of town can start,” Bishop Peter says.

More information is available on the project website.