Christchurch CBD construction ramps up

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has today taken Prime Minister John Key on a whistle-stop tour to check progress on three major construction sites in the Christchurch CBD.

“These three buildings will be worth about $100 million once completed and will employ a total of around 500 during the construction phase,” Mr Brownlee said.

“Today we saw these projects were progressing well, with two of them expected to be completed in the next six months and the other within the next 12 months.

“This reinforces the Christchurch CBD is moving out of the demolition phase and the construction phase is gearing up, with tonnes of concrete being poured in the CBD each week.

“Over the past 12 months, a total of $800 million worth of commercial consents has been issued in greater Christchurch and this will no doubt increase exponentially over the coming months as the rebuild gains momentum,” Mr Brownlee said.

“Out of the more than 1100 buildings damaged by the earthquakes within the four avenues of the Christchurch CBD, there are now only 67 remaining, or just six per cent, that require full or partial demolition.”

The construction sites visited today were a six-storey office commercial building at 70 Gloucester Street, a three-storey building at 219 High Street, which will house offices, with a bar/retail shops on the ground floor, and a day stay hospital and medical consulting rooms at 137 Kilmore Street.