There was an accident last year during the Northern Osaka Earthquake where a concrete block wall collapsed.
It looks like Nishinomiya City will subsidize part of the cost of removing concrete block walls at homes.
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Details on Partial Subsidies for Concrete Block Wall Removal Costs
Nishinomiya City will subsidize up to two-thirds of the cost of removing concrete block walls for owners of private homes, with a maximum subsidy of 100,000 yen.
Eligible walls: Dangerous concrete block walls facing a road and attached to privately owned homes, excluding rental properties.
Eligible expenses: Costs for work to remove all or part of an eligible wall and eliminate the danger
This Fiscal Year’s Deadline Is March 13, 2020
Applications started on April 15 this year. The deadline is March 13 of next year.
For details, please see Nishinomiya City’s “Subsidy Program for the Removal of Concrete Block Walls, etc.”
I Looked Up How Much It Costs to Remove a Concrete Block Wall
If you don’t know roughly how much it costs to remove a concrete block wall in the first place, it can be worrying, so I looked into it.
To get straight to the point, it seems to cost around 10,000 yen to 20,000 yen per 1㎡ (1.0m x 1.0m). On top of that, disposal fees may add around another 10,000 yen.
If Removing a Concrete Block Wall 1m High and 10m Long
In this case, it would be 10㎡, so a contractor’s estimate would likely be around 100,000 to 200,000 yen.
If the Removal Cost Is 200,000 Yen
Up to two-thirds is subsidized, but since the maximum is 100,000 yen, your out-of-pocket cost would be 100,000 yen.
If the Removal Cost Is 100,000 Yen
Since two-thirds would be subsidized, 66,000 yen would be covered, so your out-of-pocket cost would be 33,000 yen.
Your out-of-pocket cost can vary greatly depending on the removal estimate, so you’ll want to look for a contractor who can do the work as affordably as possible.
If You Turn the Former Block Wall Area into a Hedge, You May Also Qualify for a Greening Subsidy
It’s good to remove the block wall, but then you might wonder what to put in its place.
Nishinomiya City also has a greening subsidy program.
Apparently, you can receive a subsidy if you plant a hedge or greenery on the road-facing side.
※Captured from the Nishinomiya City official website “Residential Greening Subsidy Program” (2019/5/28)
Finally
With the Nankai Trough earthquake, the Arima-Takatsuki Fault, the Uemachi Fault, and others, we never know when the next major earthquake may come. If you happen to be next to a concrete block wall when one strikes, your life could definitely be at risk, so using subsidy programs like this and taking action early can give you peace of mind. It protects lives, and if you add greenery too, both your home and the streetscape can look nicer. That’s three benefits in one.
