Christchurch people should begin to see signs of demolition work underway on the badly damaged Grand Chancellor Hotel within a fortnight.
The demolition contract was let in late May but there is still no obvious sign of work being done.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority's demolitions manager, Warwick Issacs, says preparation work has been done and cranes will be in place soon to start deconstructing the central city building.
Demolition is expected to be completed within 10 months.
Mr Issacs says within five months, other building owners should be able to get access to their sites within the hotel's fall zone.
