In a briefing yesterday afternoon, Mr Brownlee is reported to have said that if he had his way most of Christchurch's heritage buildings would be bowled tomorrow.

The old buildings killed people when they toppled during the earthquake and they cannot remain.

Mr Brownlee has been accused of taking a hard line on Christchurch's damaged buildings.

"While they are part of our past history, they have no place in our future history. As I've said repeatedly, heritage is both forward and back and from this point on, we decide what the heritage of this city will be," he said.

Mr Brownlee later repeated his emphasis on the need to make Christchurch a safe city. "There is no desire to bring out the bulldozers and take Christchurch to the ground but there is a huge desire to see the city open up as much as possible and unsafe buildings removed as quickly as possible."

Sources:
NZ Herald
Radio New Zealand