“The city council is working its way through a list of about 3800 properties identified as being potentially unstable in a moderate earthquake. So far, 136 properties, including 21 heritage buildings, have been confirmed as vulnerable, while about 1000 others have been given the all-clear…. ….The new list reflects the more stringent standards introduced with the 2004 Building Act, which says a building has to meet 33 per cent of the current seismic loading standard for a new building.

“The council began work to identify earthquake-vulnerable buildings in mid-2006, but stopped issuing notices while it reviewed its buildings policy in the past financial year, council building compliance manager Steve Cody said. Work had since restarted, but there was a backlog of notices to be issued. It would take about three more years to get through all 3800 properties, he said.

“The policy was completed in July. The main change was a longer time frame for improvement works to be done – extended from between five and 15 years to 10-20 years. This reflected the complexity and cost of strengthening work, Mr Cody said. It was also fairer to building owners in the midst of a recession. “It’s no use making it difficult for them to achieve what you want them to achieve.”