25 Jan 2013

Playcentre now without a venue

3:36 pm on 25 January 2013

The sudden closure of a community centre in the suburb of Harewood in Christchurch after an engineer's report has left several community organisations without a venue.

The Christchurch City Council said the centre was given the all-clear after the earthquakes two years ago, so it was a shock to find it meets only 6% of the building standard.

The venue is used by Harewood Playcentre and several other organisations.

Community services manager Michael Aitken said the council is mindful of the disruption and inconvenience the closure will cause, but it's taking a prudent approach to public safety.