By Hamish Clark
The demolition of Christchurch’s red zoned suburbs has begun, but some of those who used to live in the doomed houses are only just finding out their old homes will be first to go.
The diggers moved in to the devastated suburb of Bexley today to flatten 11 houses whose owners accepted the Government's buyout offer. A further 5,000 houses are scheduled for demolition after being stripped of anything that can be salvaged and recycled.
Once a modern four-bedroom home, 23 Seabreeze Close is now reduced to a pile of rubble. The $365,000 property was purchased by the Government and was the first to face the digger this morning.
Former Bexley resident Janet Derham has sold her home to the Government, but is upset she wasn’t told when it would be demolished.
She says knowing the demolition date would have enabled her to bring extended family to “say goodbye” to the property.
“Almost all of them have stayed here or even lived here, especially our grandchildren,” she says.
Local MP Lianne Dalziel has heard the same concern from many former residents, and says residents should be notified about the demolition dates of their old houses.
“The Government doesn't see these as anything other than properties to be demolished now that they own them, but in fact they were people’s homes,” she says.
However, Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says it just isn’t practical to notify all former homeowners about the impending demolitions.
“I know people do have emotional connections to properties that they have sold, but we do need to get on with it – we have 5,000-plus of these to do.”
3 News