Hei Hei closure shock

Riccarton Wigram Community Board chairman Mike Mora is "devastated" by the city council's decision to close the Hei Hei Community Centre.

But he says the community will have to take it "on the chin".

The decision was made on Thursday, after results from a Detailed Engineering Evaluation assessment showed the building is earthquake prone.

The assessment showed parts of the eastern and western sides of the building have unreinforced masonry walls, which are defined as a critical structural weakness.

Mr Mora said community groups will now be homeless.

"My heart sank when I received an email from council on Thursday morning. It was a godsend after the earthquakes because a lot of the halls were out of action. It's been a focal point of the community for a long time and so many people rely on these type of facilities, they really do."

Engineers have assessed the building as having a seismic capacity of 18 per cent of the New Building Standard (NBS).

Councillors have agreed to close all buildings that are assessed as below 34 per cent of the NBS, which means they are earthquake-prone.

"We have just got to take it on the chin like everyone else.

"We will be asking council for time frames, what the insurance cover is and future hall plans - if there will be another hall rebuilt or what hall can be used in the meantime. I really feel for the community," Mr Mora said.

City council general manager community services Michael Aitken said the council is aware of the building's importance to the local community and the disruption its closure will cause.

"We're conscious of the inconvenience this will cause the community groups who use the centre and others who have booked the venue for upcoming events.

"However, the safety of those using the centre is paramount and it's important that they are not put at risk in the event of more earthquakes."

The closest alternative city ouncil-owned community centre is the Harvard Community Lounge in Wigram.