The Anglican Church says it will review a report that claims the ChristChurch Cathedral can be saved.
The church's Cathedral Project Group confirmed today it had received the Great Christchurch Buildings Trust (GCBT) report.
The GCBT, chaired by former MPs Jim Anderton and Philip Burdon, yesterday gave The Press an engineers' report that it claimed showed the cathedral could be safely restored.
-
Related
Acting Dean Lynda Patterson said: "We will review this brief report against the considerable work already undertaken in relation to safety, heritage values, financial implications and the need to reinstate the Christchurch Anglican Cathedral for the worship of God and Christian mission in the community."
She said the Cathedral Project Group had taken the GCBT engineers on site several weeks ago.
Representatives showed the engineers the cathedral and the issues involved in deciding the best way to safely preserve the building's heritage.
Representatives also met with members of the GCBT several times, Patterson said.
Earlier this year, Holmes Consulting Group engineers presented three options to The Cathedral Project Group.
These included a maximum retention option that was costed out at over $100m, but it was rejected after a safe haven could not be assured.
The GCBT took the Holmes maximum retention option and looked further at this with their engineers.
Former Christ Church Cathedral dean Peter Beck said he wanted a new cathedral built as a "living icon" of the city.
But Beck said today that he did not want to see what was "essentially a replica" built.
"Sure the cathedral can be saved and obviously I have a deep love for the cathedral, but my own view is that the cathedral should incorporate both respect for the past, the present and the promise of the future," he said.
"We should build a new cathedral that is a living icon of the city. Everyone has their own view and obviously the report needs to be discussed by all parties, but that's my own view."
Beck compared ChristChurch Cathedral to the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings.
"I would like to see the chambers rebuilt because they are a really historic building recognising our past, but the cathedral should point to our future, not just the past," he said.
A proposal to restore the cathedral would be the cheapest option for saving the building, Restore ChristChurch Cathedral spokesman Mark Belton said.
"Cost is not mentioned in the report but there have been some statements going around that the cost wouldn't be much off $100 million. There have also been indications from engineers that it could be much less that that," he said.
"It is the least costly option for restoration. Obviously, to take it down and build it all up again is going to cost more than keeping bits of it there. Important parts like the roof aren't even badly damaged."
Belton supported the "excellent" proposal from a panel of leading engineers whose plan involved replicating an underground mine.
"It proves definitely that the cathedral can be saved and it meets all safety requirements," he said.
"This report has been prepared independently by respected engineers. There can no longer be any debate as to whether there is a viable engineering solution for maximum retention of the cathedral."
Belton hoped the Anglican Church would seriously consider the proposal.
"I hope they will be encouraged and emboldened by this report to work through the retention option," he said.