By Anna Burns-Francis
Thousands of residents on Christchurch’s Banks Peninsula have been told it is safe to stay in their homes.
Their properties have been officially declared in the green zone but a handful still have a worrying wait.
They are living in limbo; residents from across Christchurch’s broken suburbs protesting the time it is taking for the Government to decide if they can stay in their homes.
The dozens of homeowners gathered in Hagley Park are all living in white or orange zoned properties – waiting to find out if they go green and stay, or turn red and are forced to leave.
It comes after Gerry Brownlee revealed the news more than 4000 Banks Peninsula homeowners have waited months to hear.
They can stay in their homes.
It has been a long wait for those living in the area, many of whom reported little or no damage to their properties following February’s earthquake.
But it is not all good news.
Twenty properties, in Church Bay and Diamond Harbour, remain in the white zone.
They need further assessment, particularly of the steep hillside on which they are built, before being given the all-clear.
Resident Ernie Jones is confident it will be long before he goes green.
“I've checked all the concrete pillars and poles and things like that and everything's sound and stable because it's virtually, as you can see with the surrounds here, it's virtually built on rock. And it's solid. There's just virtually no movement there whatsoever.”
Homeowners will receive letters confirming their zone change in the next few days.
3 News
By Anna Burns-Francis
Thousands of residents on Christchurch’s Banks Peninsula have been told it is safe to stay in their homes.
Their properties have been officially declared in the green zone but a handful still have a worrying wait.
They are living in limbo; residents from across Christchurch’s broken suburbs protesting the time it is taking for the Government to decide if they can stay in their homes.
The dozens of homeowners gathered in Hagley Park are all living in white or orange zoned properties – waiting to find out if they go green and stay, or turn red and are forced to leave.
It comes after Gerry Brownlee revealed the news more than 4000 Banks Peninsula homeowners have waited months to hear.
They can stay in their homes.
It has been a long wait for those living in the area, many of whom reported little or no damage to their properties following February’s earthquake.
But it is not all good news.
Twenty properties, in Church Bay and Diamond Harbour, remain in the white zone.
They need further assessment, particularly of the steep hillside on which they are built, before being given the all-clear.
Resident Ernie Jones is confident it will be long before he goes green.
“I've checked all the concrete pillars and poles and things like that and everything's sound and stable because it's virtually, as you can see with the surrounds here, it's virtually built on rock. And it's solid. There's just virtually no movement there whatsoever.”
Homeowners will receive letters confirming their zone change in the next few days.
3 News