Nearly 200 Christchurch landowners decline Crown offers

Bare land cannot be insured, which left many people facing huge financial burdens when the February 22 quake struck. Photo / Simon Baker

Almost 180 Christchurch landowners have chosen not to accept the Crown offers on their red-zoned properties.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) has released figures showing the number of landowners who accepted the offer before the deadline closed on Tuesday.

While the majority of the 7,000 red zoned landowners have settled or are about to settle with the Crown, 178 owners chose not to.

They include 48 who did not consent to receiving an offer.

CERA Chief Executive Roger Sutton said they knew the process would not appeal to everyone.

He said there may still be some sale and purchase agreements yet to be formally registered even though they arrived with lawyers before the deadline passed.