Hoax letter tells residents their homes to be bulldozed for mall

A hoax letter telling Christchurch residents they had to leave their houses to make way for a mall expansion has been branded as a "sick joke".

The letter drop yesterday told about 100 residents their homes were to be taken under the Public Works Act, to double the size of the Riccarton Mall.

Bearing the Christchurch City Council and Westfield Riccarton logos, the letters were delivered to four streets in the Riccarton area.

The residents were told their homes would be demolished to make way for a new foodcourt, hypermart, ice skating rink and 950 extra carparks.

Keith Derbyshire, former chairman of the Central Riccarton Residents' Association, was one of those who received the letter.

"It's a terribly, terribly sick joke, particularly in this area because there are a very high number of elderly people and a lot of them would be extremely alarmed," he told The Press.

He said one elderly woman had phoned mall staff in tears, telling them she feared her house would be taken from her after $10,000 worth of renovations.

Chrsitchurch City Council said any fears houses were going to be acquired were unwarranted.

Police had been asked to investigate the source of the letters.

- NZPA