27 Oct 2012

Councillor wants Christchurch town hall saved

5:15 pm on 27 October 2012

A Christchurch city councillor is calling for the city's town hall to be completely repaired - against advice from council staff.

Staff are recommending that everything but the auditorium of the current building be demolished and a new foyer and function area built around it.

But Yani Johanson, who chairs the council's community, recreation and culture committee, says he'll be recommending that the existing building be repaired to 100% of the new earthquake building standard.

He says the complex is one of the city's few remaining heritage buildings and the council should be cautious about knocking it down.

He says that when the idea was first put out to public consultation, an overwhelming majority of submitters supported repairing the town hall, and the council itself initially proposed repairing it and allocated $127.5 milion to do so.

Mr Johanson says the more recent option of large-scale demolition could cost up to $80 million and the insurance contribution is estimated at nearly $70 million.

Whichever option is taken up, he says, the money allocated will still be used.

The eight councillors on the committee will debate the issue next week.