Council buildings identified as earthquake prone

Stratford District Council (SDC) has recently completed seismic assessments on council-owned buildings, with three of the assessed being identified as earthquake prone.

The Stratford War Memorial Centre, TET Multi-Sport Centre, and Glockenspiel clock tower have been issued with earthquake prone building (EQPB) notices authorised by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on Friday 19 May 2023.

These facilities can continue to be used like they are now but will legally need to be remedied within 25 years of the notice. The buildings identified are considered earthquake prone because of things like their construction and what they are used for.

Notices will be visible on the main entrances of the facilities informing building users and the public about the building’s potential seismic performance in a moderate earthquake, its earthquake rating, and the date for when strengthening or solution work must be completed.

The seismic assessments grade each building to indicate its strength, shown as the percentage of the new building standard it achieves. Earthquake-prone buildings are those classified as less than 34% of the current standard for an equivalent building.

The ratings for these three buildings have been assessed as:

• War Memorial Centre: 15% NBS (IL3)
• TET Multi-Sport Centre: 20% NBS (IL3)
• Glockenspiel Clock Tower: 25% NBS (IL2

Detailed information explaining the different ratings and definitions of IL3 and IL2 can be found on our website here.

SDC’s Audit & Risk Committee discussed the assessment results and next steps at its meeting on Tuesday 16 May 2023.

The committee have asked Council officers to investigate the costs associated with strengthening the War Memorial Centre and TET Multi Sport Centre and have agreed to have a detailed seismic assessment completed for the Glockenspiel to better understand the options available for this building.

The TSB Pool Complex which is currently not in use, has also had a preliminary assessment undertaken. The preliminary assessment has indicated that it is also unlikely to achieve 34% of the current standard and the committee have asked officers to provide cost estimates to demolish this building and reinstate the land back to ground level.

Council officers and elected members also discussed the Civil Defence role that both the War Memorial Centre and TET Multi-Sport Centre could play in an emergency response.

The committee has requested that the cost investigations for these two facilities also include an option for improvements that meet the standard required to have these buildings as designated Civil Defence Centres, and to identify alternative facilities within the district (existing or new) that could be used for a Civil Defence response.

These cost estimates and any additional information will be provided to the full Council for consideration later this year and will form part of the Long Term Plan 2024-34 process.

SDC has started work to identify potentially earthquake-prone buildings across the whole district as well. The building services team will be approaching property owners regarding these assessments by August 2023.