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Photo by Nicola Wong

Dealing with older (historic) buildings

Andrew Metcalfe —

In common with many other denominations, the Diocese of Dunedin has a number of historic and significant buildings that we operate from.

For many parishes, there are concerns about the safety and stability of these, especially if they are built of brick/stone/masonry and they may not be fully up to code.  Throughout the Diocese  local authorities are taking a varied approach to these - some Parishes have had to undertake  engineering assessments and there are different time frames in place for completing this and any remedial work. In some settings this can potentially be the straw that breaks the camel's back, especially if a building is not in frequent use or the Parish/Local Church is struggling.

We recommend that if faith communities have any particular concerns about their buildings that they get a qualified engineer to complete an assessment. The Diocesan Health and Safety area on the website is also worth reviewing - Wardens and Vestries should be carrying out risk assessments for any areas that are being used and ensuring that users of buildings are aware of emergency procedures.

Our Website has a special page called Property Matters which has lots of resources for helping you manage your significant buildings.