Compensation is off the cards for five homeowners whose houses have been rebuilt using an incorrect council flood level assessment, Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel says.
Properties in the Flockton Basin have been repeatedly flooded. Photo: RNZ
A council mistake in modelling the threat posed by flooding due to sea level rise in the next 50 years has left South Brighton residents worrying about a loss in their property values.
The council has ordered urgent surveys of the homes to establish the extent of the error, and while compensation was off the table, there were other ways the council could help, including building stop banks, Ms Dalziel said.
Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel Photo: RNZ / Conan Young
"Floor levels is how the individual property owner mitigates the flood risk, but the council itself has a number of tools that it can look at."
Lianne Dalziel said there is no immediate danger to homes, and work was already underway to determine the threat posed by sea level rise.
Temporary stop banks to remain
And a Christchurch City Council committee today voted in favour of extending the life of the temporary stop banks for 20 years.
Temporary stop banks, including sections using sand bags, were built following the 2011 earthquake which dramatically lowered the level of the land on either side of the city's main river. These are now starting to degrade.
It recommend stop banks along the Avon River be made higher and stronger to reduce the flooding risk.
A permanent fix is dependent on the future of the adjacent red-zoned land which is owned by the government.
While the neighbourhoods that once existed alongside the river have largely disappeared, there are still a number of roads alongside the Avon that the council is keen to protect from flooding.