No help for quake-risk historic buildings

The Government will not help the owners of historic buildings pay for the potentially costly earthquake strengthening that some owners call inevitable under new building rules.

The owner of Dunedin's famous Larnach Castle said this week that the cost of complying could force the business to close.

Building Issues Minister Clayton Cosgrove said yesterday local councils might exempt some historic buildings from their earthquake policies, grant rates holidays, or use local funds to help heritage buildings comply.

But the Government was not going to create a specific heritage fund to help the owners of listed buildings pay for any earthquake strengthening their councils might deem necessary.

The cost of remedial work would translate to an investment in the building, and it would not be proper for the Government to contribute.

Instead, Mr Cosgrove urged communities to get involved with developing their council's earthquake-prone building policies.

"Councils have been asked to implement the policy that they believe is right for their areas. So it is important that communities get involved."

The Building Act 2004 requires councils to have a policy to make quake-safe what it identifies as potentially earthquake-prone buildings.

The Dunedin City Council believes it could cost $20 million to strengthen city-owned buildings.

Dunedin Heritage Action Committee chairwoman Olivia Richmond-Johnston, owner of heritage building Lisburn House, said she had been told just paying for an engineer's assessment would cost her business $20,000.

That the Government would not meet that cost, or the $200,000 it could cost to strengthen her building, was "terrible for everyone who has to find the money just to comply with needless rules".

- NZPA