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St Paul's Cathedral is about to undergo  work  that could include  earthquake strengthening, a general tidy up and even  an extension.

The work comes as the cathedral has had to deal with an expanded role as one of the first ports of call for cruise ship passengers.

Two huge cranes were in place yesterday lifting workers high above the Octagon to inspect the building as part of a three-stage work programme.

An upgrade of the 98-year-old Anglican cathedral was necessary for the "major part of Dunedin’s cultural background", keeper of the fabric David Tucker said.

Mr Tucker, who said his title translated to the more modern "chairman of the works committee" at the cathedral, said the church "just gets over the minimum limits" in terms of being earthquake-proof.

He expected those limits to be raised by the Government, so the issue needed to be considered.

Opus International Consultants principal structural and civil engineer Andrew Blacker said his company would assess the whole building, and update its conservation plan.

That would take into account the condition of the building and set up a regime of maintenance for the next 100 years.

Mr Blacker said the cathedral was "actually a very well-built building".

"It’s pretty good."

However, some aspects, including its finials, were "just stone work" and would need to be strengthened.

"There are solutions," he said of that work.

Inside the cathedral there was some "massive stone work", which had its own resilience but  might also need work.

That could involve a system of "ties" to hold the structure together, though that would be done in a way that was in keeping with the building.

Mr Tucker said the church had received a $135,000 lottery grant, and would need more funding as the project progressed.

The church had become very popular with cruise ship passengers.

"We get thousands of them — you have no idea.

"They flood up the steps like you wouldn’t believe."

While they provided some donations, it was "not a great deal", Mr Tucker said.

That was something that could be worked on, and the church was also looking to Dunedin businesses to help fund the programme.

Mr Tucker said the first stage of the work included yesterday’s inspection and would finish in July.

The next stage would include detailed design and developing specifications for contractors, while stage three would be physical work.

That would be "in a couple of years at the earliest".

While it was "very early days to talk about it", there was consideration of building "a small extension" on the Harrop St side of the building.

That would provide better facilities for toilets and meeting rooms, and easier access.

david.loughrey@odt.co.nz