Council adopts long-term plan for city
The Council received more than 1300 public submissions to the draft LTCCP 2009-19, released for public consultation in March. Public hearings were held last month and as a result of submissions and other developments over the past four months, a number of changes were proposed to the draft plan.
The average rates increase for the coming year will be 3.9 per cent.
Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker says the LTCCP 2009-19 adopted today sets out a clear path for the future of our city, outlining a number of major infrastructure projects while maintaining rates increases at sustainable levels.
"The Government's announcement earlier this year of $15 million funding for the AMI stadium project has allowed us to redirect some of the money we had allocated to the stadium to other projects. We've also been advised that the New Zealand TransportAgencyfunding for new transport interchange will be increased to 60 per cent, freeing-up further funding for other projects.
Mr Parker said the feedback received from the public during this process was essential to ensure the Council is heading in the right direction. "This year we received many submissions on a range of issues from the state of our footpaths to plans to extend the city tramway. I would like to thank all of those residents and groups who took the time to comment on our plan, your feedback is invaluable as we plan for a better future.
"I believe this LTCCP strikes an important balance between minimising rate increases for our residents and continuing to take our city forward."
Changes to the draft plan adopted today in the final LTCCP 2009-19 include:
- Intersection projects – as a result of funding freed-up because of the Government's AMI Stadium funding decision, the Council has been able to allocate funding for work on eight intersections around the city to improve road safety. They are: Greers/Northcote/Sawyers Arms Road, Belfast/Marshland Road, Gardiners Road/Sawyers Arms Road, Glandovey Road/Idris Road, GlandoveyRoad/Heaton Street/Rossall Street/Strowan, Bishopdale/Harewood Road, Deans Avenue/Riccarton Road, Centaurus Road/Colombo Street, and Avondale Road/Bassett Street.
- Funding of $25.5 million for a new aquatic facility in the city, with investigations in 2011 to inform the next LTCCP round three years from now.
- Funding for water and wastewater projects in Charteris Bay and Little River will be brought forward.
- Funding for a new indoor multi sports stadium, with investigations to start in 2010/11.
- Funding for artificial hockey turfs, including $250,000 for a facility at St Bedes College, subject to satisfaction around community usage, in addition to funding for two other artificial turfs in the city
- $143,000 for the Belfast Pool upgrade.
- The Council will provide two grants of $50,000 each toward the consent costs of developing the new City Mission buildings and consent costs for the establishment of a new National Railway Museum.
- The project to link the Christchurch to Little River Rail Trail route to the Southern Motorway cycle way will be brought forward.
- The Council will provide funding of $10,000 for the maintenance and creation of mountain bike tracks on the Port Hills.
Other projects and services that were included the draft LTCCP 2009-19 and confirmed today include:
Transport Interchange
Funding is confirmed for the development of a new Transport Interchange in the central city. This is a key component of the Council's plans to revitalise the central city and meet increasing demand for public transport.
Bus priority measures
$14.2m is included in the LTCCP 2009-19 to introduce new bus priority routes to Hornby via Riccarton Road (2010-11), New Brighton (2011-12), Sumner via Ferrymead (2012–13) and Cranford Street (2017–18).
Recreation and leisure facilities
The Council confirmed funding of: $9.1m on building the new Graham Condon Leisure Centre in Papanui, starting in 2010; $21.7m over four years from 2015 to develop a new leisure centre in the south-west of the city; and $1m over 2010-11 to develop test cricket facilities at Hagley Oval.
New city libraries
The Council has allocated $123.5m over the next 10 years on building new libraries in the growth areas of Belfast, Halswell, Hornby and Linwood, as well as funding for a new library in Aranui and the development of the Central Library.
Tram extension
The Council approved the proposed extension of the city tram route, with the first stage as far as the corner of High and Tuam streets to be completed in time for the Rugby World Cup 2011. It also confirmed funding for the second stage of the extension along High Street and Ferry Road to the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, the Music Centre of Christchurch and Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) to be completed by the summer of 2013. Funding of $11.5 million will be set aside in the LTCCP to achieve this.
Early Learning Centres
The Council is to offer for saleits Tuam Street Early Learning Centre but keep its QEII Pre-School and Pioneer Early Learning Centres – though outsourcing their operation.The purchaser of the Tuam Street Early Learning Centre will have the option of removing the building when the site is required for development as outlined in the Council's Central City South Master Plan. In deciding to outsource the QEII and Pioneer services, Councillors included the requirement that some casual places remain available for centre users.
Edgeware Pool Site
The Christchurch City Council will sell part of the former Edgeware Road pool site by public tender. The site will be sold in its current condition. Proceeds from the sale of the land will be put towards the development of a community centre in the area. The portion of the site that houses infrastructure for the city's water supply will be retained by the Council, as will an area accessed off Trafalgar Street, which will be available to be developed as a community garden.
Community Grants Funding
The Council will phase in a $1.5 million reduction to its grants funding over two years. The funding reduction is aimed at keeping rates increases down and having the cost of administering grants come from the grants fund itself, rather than from the Council's general operating expenses. The full $1.5 million reduction was to have taken effect in the 2009/10 year, but the two-step increase was decided in response to submissions made to the Council.
Copies of the final LTCCP 2009–19 will be available to the public online and from Council service centres and libraries on 1 August.