Council moves to re-open Cathedral Square

Outdoor performance space and a chance to reconnect with the centre of the city could soon be possible following a resource consent application by the Christchurch City Council.

As part of the Transitional Cathedral Square project, the Council would like to create temporary entertainment and gathering spaces in Cathedral Square when it is opened to the public.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said that with the proposed reduction of the Red Zone in 2013, the Council wanted to make it easy for the people of Christchurch to be able to reconnect with the spiritual, cultural and civic heart of the city.

“The proposal is an important first step in helping to restore one of the City’s most important public open spaces and will enhance and facilitate recreational and tourism activity within the Square. It will serve a social, cultural and economic purpose.

“The scale and shape of the interim space will vary depending on demolition and rebuild activity on adjacent private sites and the phasing of the Square redevelopment,” he says.

Through ‘Share an Idea’, the community said it wanted the Square to be redeveloped to be a greener, softer space and a place to meet friends, eat lunch, enjoy a stroll, be entertained, listen to music and generally soak up the atmosphere of the new city as it developed. The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan included the Square as an anchor project, due to be completed in 2016 and recognises the importance of the transitional phase.

“This is the first step in achieving that goal. There is still much work to be done in and around the Square, but we think it is critical that people can reconnect with the city centre.

“The revitalisation of Cathedral Square will be the catalyst to connecting the important regrowth areas of the central business district such as Re:Start, New Regent Street and Worcester Boulevard,” he says.

The aim for the Transitional Cathedral Square is to:

• Provide the opportunities for residents/visitors to form new ways of relating to the Central City.
• Re-establish the Square as a key visitor destination.
• Create amenity for early occupants of the Central City, including tourists, office workers, shoppers and residents.
• Provide a connection between ‘hotspots’ of recovery, including New Regent Street and Re:Start to support retail and business being established.
• Highlights the collaboration approach between Christchurch City Council, CERA, and its recovery partners and private landowners to instil confidence in the rebuild and Central City.
• Showcasing and testing new ideas for the long-term design and activation of the Square and allowing for a smooth transition for it’s future redevelopment.

The key components of the transitional project and the consent application include: 

• Creative hoardings to provide safety and security and enclose the space.
• Working with artists to create works for the Square.
• Temporary planters and modular seats  that can be easily re-configured.
• A temporary performance space.
• Retrofitting the existing Police Kiosk and incorporating an information booth.
• Temporary toilets to replace the damaged toilet block.
• Creative lighting to support the night-time activation of the space.
• Interpretation to communicate the past/present/future of the Square.

The City Council is working with adjoining property owners in the Square, CERA, CCDU, Ngai Tahu, Canterbury Christchurch Tourism and the Police, as part of its Transitional City programme to attract people back to the area, both as visitors and tenants, and help stimulate property development to rejuvenate Cathedral Square.