The New Zealand Herald today reported that a ‘formal commitment’ has been made by the Anglican Church in Christchurch to construct a new cathedral in Cathedral Square. The historic cathedral that once stood in Christchurch was damaged in an earthquake in 2011 and a temporary cardboard cathedral designed by architect Shigeru Ban for the city has been given planning approval.

The Church Property Trustees (CPT) have received a request by the Cathedral Chapter and Standing Committee to build a replacement ‘landmark’ cathedral in Cathedral Square and have released a statement which advices the Cathedral Project Group to seek further information from architecture and engineering professionals about the concept.

A statement from the CPT reads: “Following the meeting of Church Property Trustees last night [19 November 2012], a separate application will be lodged with the court to seek clarity on the comments made in the judgement so the Church Property Trustees can continue to act responsibly. The judge did not say the building or funding of the transitional cathedral was illegal or unlawful.”