Five more public buildings in Auckland have been identified as earthquake prone by the Auckland Council.
Five more public buildings in Auckland have been identified as earthquake prone by the Auckland Council.
They are the Grey Lynn Library and Community Hall, Leys Institute Gymnasium and Leys Institute Library and Community Hall in St Marys Bay, Studio One Toi Tu in Grey Lynn, and a toilet block on Great North Road.
Seismic assessments found they were below 34 per cent of the new building standard, which means they are regarded as earthquake prone.
Auckland Council chief operating officer Dean Kimpton said yellow stickers would be fixed to the buildings but they would not be closed.
"I want to reassure Aucklanders that just because a building is deemed earthquake-prone under the legislation, it does not make it unsafe.
"We are not currently planning on closing any council-owned buildings solely as a result of a seismic assessment.
"Our buildings remain open for business to serve our communities."
The Victoria Theatre in Devonport.
The buildings would have to be upgraded, though the council has a 35-year deadline to complete the works because Auckland experiences a very low frequency of quakes.
Local resident Amanda Gilchrist chatted to the Herald outside Grey Lynn Library, describing it as a great community asset that was also regularly used by nearby Grey Lynn Primary for discos and functions.
"It gives the kids that exposure to books and reading," she said.
Working as a nanny for two local families, Rhiannon Dilworth said she came to the library twice a week with the children she cares for.
"He wants to come, he loves reading books," she said, pointing to one of the boys impatiently waiting at the library's door.
Emma Rogers also comes to the library once a week and often spends time reading quietly in one of its nooks.
She hopes the finding that the building is earthquake prone does not lead to it being closed or there being any impact on Grey Lynn having its own library and community hall.
"It has been here for as long as i can remember," she said.
Auckland Council's Kimpton, meanwhile, said teams would first address any non-structural parts of the earthquake prone buildings, such as chimneys or awnings, that could pose a risk of falling in a seismic event.
That could mean changes to the layout of some of the buildings.
Staff who worked at the yellow-stickered buildings were told of the seismic risk this morning, and they will be trained in earthquake response exercises.
Law changes last year required building owners in Auckland to upgrade earthquake-prone structures within 35 years, or 45 years for heritage buildings.
The council has completed seismic risk assessment for 59 out of its 2000 buildings so far, and has prioritised buildings which are known to be at risk.
It expected to complete assessments of the at-risk buildings by 2021.
Studio One Toi Tu in Grey Lynn.
Three places in Auckland have already been yellow-stickered. They are the Victoria Theatre in Devonport and toilet blocks in Sandringham Rd Reserve and Bellwood Ave, Mt Eden.
In higher-risk areas like Napier, Wellington and Christchurch, the deadline for bringing risky buildings up to code is 15 years.
In medium-risk areas, including Hamilton, Nelson, and Invercargill, the deadline is 25 years.
