This morning I have been in Lyttelton watching the last of the demolition of the Volcano Café and Lava Bar. I am here to ensure that the heritage agreements are being followed, with pieces of the buildings saved for heritage purposes.

It is nice to think that perhaps parts of these iconic buildings will in some way inform the future face of Lyttelton. I think it comes as a great comfort for people to know that reuse and recycling is on the demolition agenda.

The reports that a Nelson rest home housing many displaced elderly Cantabrians is closing its doors, the displacement of these people a second time is concerning, and unsettling for everyone involved.

Geotechnical engineers have completed rock mapping above Bridal Path Road and Hammerton Lane and are providing a scope of work and cost estimates to CCC this week for remedial works for both areas.

The timeframe for undertaking the work has still not been finalised, but it is hoped that it will start within the next few weeks.  It is still likely that residents whose homes have been red placarded for geotechnical reasons will not be able to return to their homes for at least another two and a half months while these works and subsequent geotechnical reassessments are done.

Geotechnical engineers from Opus are beginning to map dangerous rocks in Morgans Valley/Horotane Valley areas.  A solution to the rockfall risk for Morgans Valley will be several months away.  It is likely that residents whose homes have been red placarded for geotechnical reasons will not be able to return to them for at least six months while remedial works are designed and implemented. 

Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, is a public cemetery and is not designated as a Services Cemetery, yet there are over 281 service personnel commemorated therein.

These heroic people have been largely forgotten in this once majestic greenspace and important heritage site which, in addition to years of neglect, has suffered greatly in the February 2011 earthquake.

Lest we forget, the Friends of Linwood Cemetery are holding an ANZAC Day Commemoration of Soldiers Remembered in Linwood Cemetery on Monday 25th April 2011,  (Easter Monday and ANZAC Day). It will be from 10am-12pm.

We will meet at 10am in the car park on Butterfield Avenue and there will be a reading out of the Linwood Cemetery Roll of Honour at 10.15am. A  temporary memorial will be created near the cemetery entrance. At 11am  there will be an opportunity to place poppies on individual graves.

Today the programme of demolition in Lyttelton will start to make real progress. Lyttelton's iconic Volcano Cafe and Lava Bar were demolished last Friday and the Harbour Light Theatre, Empire Hotel and former No. 6 café will be demolished today and tomorrow.

This is an important step for the recovery effort in Lyttelton as many businesses dwarfed in the shadow of these unstable buildings will soon be able to reopen.

Over the weekend we had the third round of our community briefings. There was some news of set-backs in the Port Hills from Taylors Mistake right through to Princess Margaret Hospital in Cashmere. Significant land damage means that families are still unable to return to their homes in these areas and there was concern that residents are still without a robust time frame for action.