Supermarket deemed earthquake prone

The Countdown supermarket building at Trafalgar Park has been designated as earthquake prone after a recent seismic assessment.

The building on the corner of Paru Paru Road and Halifax Street in Nelson is soon to undergo strengthening work by its owner Wakatū Incorporation, which is expected to take about a month.

Wakatū Incorporation group general manager property and commercial, Iain Sheves, says to minimise disruption to the customers and staff at Countdown, the strengthening work will take place overnight, so the store can continue to operate during its normal opening hours.

He says that as soon as the detailed seismic assessment was completed, Wakatū Incorporation commissioned structural engineers to undertake a thorough investigation and identify a solution to strengthen the building.

Iain says the finished engineering design work is currently going through the approval process with the Nelson City Council, and as soon as that has been signed off, work will begin on strengthening the building.

“We’re grateful to everyone who has contributed to this project – the team at Countdown, Nelson City Council, and the engineers and contractors carrying out the work."

Until the strengthening work has been carried out, a Nelson City Council issued earthquake-prone building status notice will be displayed on the Countdown building.

Once the strengthening work is finished, Nelson City Council will reassess the building’s earthquake-prone status.