A Christchurch resident who plans to rebuild on his red zoned land says he is almost ready to start, but first wants to know whether the Government will compulsorily acquire his property.
Stephen Bourke lives in the red-zoned suburb of Brooklands, but has refused the Government's buyout offer along with about 150 other landowners.
Mr Bourke says geotechnical engineers have found the land can be rebuilt on as long as special foundations are used. He says he is now waiting for a cash settlement from his insurer.
Several possibilities remain, however, including the loss of services such as water, no insurance cover, and the threat of compulsory acquisition.
Mr Bourke says he's written several letters to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, but it has said no decisions have been made about the future of red zoned land.
"CERA can take the land and give us the market value at that date. I mean, that's quite a powerful thing for them to do, so I've been asking them 'do you still stand on that?' and they say, yes, they still don't know what they're going to do with the red zone."
He says if he gets the all clear, he will be the first person to apply for a red zone building consent.
