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SIMON O’CONNOR / STUFF / Stuff
The New Plymouth downtown parking lot on Powderham St will be closed indefinitely beginning December 19 due to an earthquake risk.
A city-owned parking lot in downtown New Plymouth will be closed indefinitely because of the risk of an earthquake.
Park tenants at the Downtown Car Park on Powderham St received an emailed letter from the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) on Friday saying the seven-story building would be closed beginning Saturday, December 19.
“We have received a detailed seismic assessment report that classifies the building as ‘high risk’ as it only meets 20 to 34 percent of the new construction standards introduced since the Christchurch earthquakes,” the letter read.
“We are sorry for any inconvenience this causes, but we hope you understand that public safety comes first.”
In the letter, the council said it would arrange a full refund of any monies paid in advance and offered to help those in need of alternative parking. There were 140 leased spaces and 125 parks were used by the public.
He also provided a link to the parking rental page of the city council’s website, which has information on the whereabouts and cost of its other five parking lots.
However, the link shows that all rental spaces are currently full, and each parking lot has a waiting list, the longest of which is 28 people. These parking areas range in price from $ 16 to $ 42 per week.
In an emailed statement, NPDC group corporate services manager Joy Buckingham said the council discussed proposals to bring the building to 67 percent of the new construction standard needed to keep it running, but decided to review the future. of the building once the City Center Strategy was completed next year.
“The strategy will provide a roadmap to keep the city center vibrant and sustainable for the next 30 years.”
Buckingham said the parking lot was built in the late 1980s to the building codes and standards of the time.
It joins the Metro Plaza building, which NPDC bought last year with a view to developing a “green corridor” within the city along the Huatoki Creek, he said.
