About 1500 homeowners in Kaiapoi living in limbo since September's earthquake should learn on Friday how much longer they will have to wait to find out what will happen to their houses.
In June, the homes in Kaiapoi and Pines Beach were zoned as orange, meaning further land assessments needed to be completed before the Government would confirm whether the land would be safe enough to live on.
A red residential zone is the worst affected area, which cannot be rebuilt on for many years, while green zoning indicates no significant land damage.
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says letters are being sent to residents containing information on when a decision will be made on the reclassification of their area to either green or red.
A report in The Press on Thursday suggested that between 700 and 1000 homes there could be zoned as red next week, but Mr Brownlee has dismissed this as pure speculation, saying it showed no sensitivity to the people living in the area.
Waimakariri mayor David Ayers says there will be homes that will have to be demolished, but the council does not yet know how many.
He says he understands the letters being sent out on Thursday will inform residents it will be three to four weeks before an announcement is made.
Helen Lawton, whose house is in the orange zone, says she is desperate to find out what will happen, but is worried about the future of her neighbourhood.
