Suburban Centres Programme workshops a hit

More than 140 people have taken part in Council-led Suburban Centres Programme workshops on the recovery of the commercial areas centred around Linwood Village (Stanmore Road/Worcester Street area) and Selwyn Street shopping area over the past week.

The workshops are designed to encourage people to put their ideas and aspirations forward on how their commercial centres could be redeveloped.

Christchurch City Council Suburban Centres Programme Acting Team Leader Mark Rushworth says the workshops gave community leaders, property and business owners and local residents the opportunity to air their ideas and concerns for their centre.

“We want to familiarise ourselves with the issues that have affected these centres and to find out what kind of environments people want for their area. These conversations have provided the raw material needed for people to work together to build a picture of the future they want for their centres.

“People came ready to share their ideas and there were consistent themes coming through in the workshops. People from both centres thought that maintaining a ‘sense of identity and community spirit’ is important – they want vibrant centres that reflect the community’s individuality and diversity.

“Other ideas included a greater mix of uses, combining retail, commercial and residential living, and better pedestrian spaces. Traffic issues, public spaces and providing safe crossings also featured,” he says.

Mayor Bob Parker says Linwood Village and the Selwyn Street shopping area provide an extremely important service for local communities and their re-establishment as the heart of the community has huge potential.

“Community involvement is a major aspect of developing a master plan for each of these centres. We want liveable, prosperous and vibrant centres that are a destination in their own right and the conversations and sharing of ideas that we have is a big step in that direction,” he says.

The information gained at these Council-led workshops will now be used in the ‘design element’ of the master plan process, providing an opportunity to propose, discuss and test the communities’ ideas for rebuilding and recovery of these centres. Ideas and options will be taken back to the community for feedback in late October.

For further information on the project contact: suburbancentres@ccc.govt.nz. or visit the Master Plan for Other Centres page.