Christ Church Cathedral shortfall $50m

About half of Christ Church Cathedral's $40 million insurance payout will be spent before the rebuild begins, court documents show.

Papers obtained by The Press from a High Court challenge brought by the Great Christchurch Buildings Trust (GCBT) against the building owner, the Church Property Trust (CPT), shows the Anglican diocese expects to retain just $20m from its insurance payout from ACS.

It would leave the diocese facing a minimum $50m shortfall, based on its own estimates, to restore or re build the central-city landmark.

Church spokeswoman Fiona Summerfield said other than construction of a new cathedral in Cathedral Square, the payout would be spent only on:

- Protective measures around the site.

- Professional advice, such as engineering reports.

- Deconstruction costs.

- Construction of the transitional, "cardboard" cathedral.

Summerfield did not respond to questions about the significance of the financial setback, how advanced fundraising plans were or whether the church was confident funds could be raised for a timely rebuild. However, court papers show the diocese hoped to implement a fundraising campaign soon.

The cost of four rebuild options designed by Warren and Mahoney were estimated by quantity surveyor David Doherr, of Davis Langdon, at between $73.5m and $84.3m, excluding GST. Restoring the cathedral was estimated to cost between $95m and $109.2m, excluding GST.

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Christ Church Cathedral shortfall $50m