Five buildings in Christchurch's historic New Regent St have been cordoned off because of safety concerns following the Valentine's Day earthquake earlier this month.
New Regent Street, pictured in 2014 Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
The street will remain open to pedestrians and most businesses will keep trading as normal, but trams will not be able to pass through.
Christchurch City Council consenting and compliance manager Peter Sparrow said a member of the public contacted the council with concerns after the 5.7 quake.
Mr Sparrow said staff installed barriers in front of the privately-owned buildings yesterday.
All the buildings have the same owner, who was instructed to complete an engineering report. As a result, the council classified the units as dangerous and quake-prone.
The owner has until 29 March to apply for a building consent for work to make the sites safe.
