The Nelson Diocesan Trust Board says it will contribute up to seven figures to the Nelson Christ Church Cathedral’s earthquake strengthening.

Board trustee David Allpress said they couldn’t give an exact figure as it wasn’t clear yet how much it would cost.

However, Nelson MP Nick Smith, said the cost of strengthening the cathedral to 80 per cent of new building standard could be between $5 million and $8 million.

Allpress said engineers had indicated the project would be ‘‘potentially, tangibly more cost effective than originally thought’’.

The board holds all assets on behalf of the Nelson Anglican Diocese, which owns close to 70 properties throughout Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough, including the Christ Church Cathedral and the All Saints Anglican Church in Nelson.

In 2015, the diocese reported about $22.6m in cash and investments, about $36m in land and buildings and a net worth of close to $60m. The board hadn’t indicated if, and how much, it would contribute to the project since it became clear to the public last year the cathedral needed work done.

Allpress said the reason for that was ‘‘because we thought that was putting the cart in front of the horse’’.

He said that the board, however, had ‘‘an aspiration of [contributing] seven figures’’.

Board chair John Fitchett said he would be ‘‘very reluctant to either say a fixed sum or a fixed percentage’’ and that he couldn’t say whether the contribution would be in the six or seven figures.

(The Nelson Mail, Monday 17 April 2017)

The Nelson City Council has updated flood and earthquake risks for thousands of city properties, causing concern for some residents.

About 7700 letters have been sent to residents whose properties have been identified in areas threatened by flooding and earthquakes.

The correspondence is being undertaken as part of the review of the Nelson Resource Management Plan and preparing its replacement, the Nelson Plan, while seeking feedback on how to deal with hazard issues.

An updated natural hazards map produced by the council has outlined the areas potentially affected, which includes parts of Stoke, Nelson East, Enner Glynn, Nelson South, Atawhai and The Wood.

Flood areas are currently identified in the Nelson Resource Management Plan. However, there are currently no rules related to liquefaction risk.

Nelson Mayor, Rachel Reese, said that while these hazards were not a new risk for Nelson, the council was ‘‘now trying to better understand how these hazards affect our developing city, and what the community tolerance is to these risks as we plan for the future.’’

The public is now invited to attend one of four community information sessions in May, where displays, maps and technical information will be provided.

(The Nelson Mail, Tuesday 18 April 2017)

A $500,000 revamp of Nelson’s Church St is designed to transform it into a pedestrian-friendly destination for outdoor dining and events.

The Nelson City Council’s works and infrastructure committee has given the go-ahead for detailed design and construction of the project to proceed.

The design includes expanding pedestrian-only space from 450m2 to 720m2, as well as creating a shared space for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians through the middle of the street.

It also includes more space for outdoor dining, a central area outside cafes and restaurants, and 16 more trees.

Construction is set to start in April next year, following the Easter break.

(The Nelson Mail, Tuesday 18 April 2017)

Nelson’s rapidly ageing population is expected to create labour shortages, fuel housing demand and put pressure on health services, a new report warns.

The report, released this month by the Nelson City Council, outlines the serious implications of the city’s ageing population over the next 30 years.

The number of older people — those aged over 65 — in Nelson is projected to more than double by 2043, making up a third of the total population.

The report highlights the impacts that an ageing population is expected to have on the region’s workforce, housing and transport.

It also highlights how the region’s older people are positioned to cope with money and social isolation.

Age Concern Nelson manager Sue Tilby said she was already seeing many older people facing these issues in the community.

Tilby said she was already seeing older people struggling to find suitable accommodation in Nelson’s housing and rental market, which was likely to be exacerbated by an ageing population.

The report suggests that older people are likely to fuel demand for smaller houses.

Noonan said the council was already looking at new ways to meet this growing need in the community.

The report says that 78 per cent of older people in Nelson own their home and eight per cent live in residential care.

Currently, 42 per cent of older people living alone were in houses with three or more bedrooms.

(The Nelson Mail, Wednesday 19 April 2017)

Staff at Port Nelson’s new $3 million workshop say they are already seeing the value in a better work environment.

While minor finishes are still being undertaken on the purposebuilt project, a 14-strong team of engineers, electricians, mechanics, carpenters, plumbers and storemen are now working in the modern building, located on the corner of Graham and Carkeek Streets.

Construction began in July last year and was completed in February by Coman Construction.

Port Nelson infrastructure manager Matt McDonald said the two key drivers of the project were ensuring the workshop was inside the secure port area, as well as being able to maintain larger equipment such as 10.7m container handlers, in all weathers.

The workshop was part of four big projects in the port’s development, consisting of plant and food development, the arrival of new tug Toia and the 13,000m2 Quayconnect building.

The port is now waiting on resource consent on a 9000m2 facility south of the Quayconnect building.

If successful, construction will begin in May.

(The Nelson Mail, Thursday 20 April 2017)

A grand old lady of the Port Hills has had a facelift.  

Nelson’s 112-year-old Victorian villa Rutherglen was in a sad state of repair when it was bought last year by new owners.

Its previous US-based owner Robert Johnson left it in a badly run down state. Her weatherboards were peeling badly, and were rotten in patches.

Johnson created a public uproar in 2004 when he said he wanted to tear it down and replace it with apartments. The house, which has a heritage rating protecting it from demolition or removal, was bought by a Nelson couple in March 2016.

The new owners have re-piled the house and fixed up and painted its exterior. They are still to restore the interior.  

Rutherglen was built in 1904 for the son of the Anchor Shipping and Foundry Company Founder Alexander Brown. Brown was born in Rutherglen near Glasgow, Scotland.

(The Nelson Mail, Thursday 20 April 2017)

A proposal to build an 80 lot subdivision on rural Nelson land has gone out for public consultation.

The site, on Wakapuaka Rd, Atawhai north of Clifton Tce School, is currently zoned rural.

Developers are seeking to have its zoning changed as part of the special housing area accord - a process that fast-tracks housing developments.

Nelson City councillors voted to consult on the proposal following a heated council meeting on Special Housing Areas (SHA) last month.

Buildings in the Wakapuaka Rd development would have a maximum of two storeys and not exceed a height of 7.5m. The minimum number of dwellings on the site is 70 residential lots.

Feedback closes on May 3 and the council will make a decision on June 8. A form to give feedback is available via the council’s website.

The council approved four new SHAs in March and extended the accord until 2021.

The accord is an agreement between central government and councils that aims to speed up housing developments to increase housing stock. The city council signed the agreement in 2013 and since then 13 SHAs have been approved.

(The Nelson Mail, Friday 21 April 2017)

The mountainbiking season on the Heaphy Track has been extended by two months, allowing riders to experience the ‘‘one of a kind’’ trail in spring weather.

The season will run from May 1 to November 30, starting this year.

The New Zealand Conservation Authority approved an amendment to the Kahurangi National Park Management Plan, allowing the longer seven-month mountainbiking season.

The season previously ran for five months from May 1 to September 30.

A permanent mountainbiking season was introduced in 2014 following a three-year trial.

(The Nelson Mail, Saturday 22 April 2017)

Thought for the Week

(Lest we forget)