Last week, CERA made the decision to bowl over the historic Majestic Theatre. Given that we’ve lost so much heritage, it can sometimes be hard to muster any more outrage about the bulldozing of our cultural memory. However, this is a building worth fighting for, and a story that hasn’t really been done justice. In December last year, the CCDU acquired the Majestic. The CCC asked for an engineering report into the building, which CERA are still yet to supply. The Mayor, and certainly Councillor Yani Johanson, have strongly advocated for saving the building.
This week the Christchurch City Council vowed to help save the historic Majestic Theatre in Manchester St and Mayor Lianne Dalziel agreed the council should meet with Cera to emphasise the importance of retaining it. Historic Places Canterbury wanted the council to seek a moratorium on the demolition while a thorough engineering assessment was done.
The demolition will be carried out under a section 38 notice, which has been used (and many would say, abused) by CERA since the CER Act was passed.
If the chief executive gives written notice to an owner of a building, structure, or other erection on or under land that demolition work is to be carried out there,—
(a) the owner must give notice to the chief executive within 10 days after the chief executive’s notice is given stating whether or not the owner intends to carry out the works and, if the owner intends to do so, specifying a time within which the works will be carried out
Can anyone see the issue here? In December, CCDU acquired the building (I’m not sure whether it was a compulsory acquisition or not). So CERA is now sending a demolition notice to the owner of the Majestic – i.e. the CCDU. It’s effectively Gerry’s left hand – Roger Sutton – telling his right hand – Warwick Isaacs – what to do. Clearly, the owner isn’t going to try and stop this demolition. Surely we have some sort of legal avenue to pursue, as this is a listed heritage building? Well, no. This, from an email I was provided from someone within CERA:
using s38 in this way means the work does not require resource and building consents from council. This is able to be done because the Minister used the CER Act in July last year to amend the council’s annual plan, and is a process that has been used numerous times in the past year.
Labour’s Heritage spokesperson put out a statement, but I fear it is too little, too late. With one hand, King Gerry is taking the building from the us, and with the other, he’s swinging his silver hammer. If you want to stop the destruction, come along to the protest, this Saturday at 11am.
Rebuilding Christchurch 
You’ve hit the nail right on the head; CERA owns the property and can do precisely what it chooses irrespective of public outrage. The emotional connections are vitally important to many people in Christchurch but the pragmatic argument “we must widen Manchester Street for traffic purposes” is the only message CERA needs to listen to. Sadly, it may take more than tears or raised voices to sway the unswayable; the Minister is clear as to what he wants and, as we have seen many times before, that’s tends to be what he gets.
So, what does he want, apart from “public safety” which conveniently outvotes heritage concerns? – he wants his transport plan implemented and this building out of the way. Why not try to give it to him?
I believe you need to continue with protest in every form but at the same time involve independent experts to realign traffic flows through that intersection so the minister gets what HE needs at the same time allowing him to be seen as sympathetic to a population becoming increasingly distressed by wanton destruction of valuable and readily recoverable assets that will add value and flavour to what might otherwise become a rather bland and compromised Christchurch.
Manchester/Lichfield is a generous intersection – surely traffic can go “round” and not “through” the Majestic? There must be a win-win solution. I hope so.
Help the Minister at the same time he can be seen to help the Majestic.
[…] covered the travesty that is the impending demolition of the Majestic on the blog a few times, but as I was walking past yesterday, realised that most people won’t be as familiar […]