Work progresses on Central City projects

Work on Central City projects by the Christchurch City Council during the last three months has focused on creating an environment that supports and promotes confidence in the Central City.

Today’s (April 5) Council meeting received the first Central City Recovery Plan Quarterly Report which detailed the work undertaken since the start of the year on temporary projects.

“This phase, while the Government approves the draft Plan, has allowed the Council to set-up the systems and processes to support recovery and begin to put in place transitional or temporary elements to help make the Central City attractive to investors, tenants and retailers,” Mayor Bob Parker says.

“This is particularly important during the early rebuild period as landowners continue to explore their options for redevelopment; Council being able to support these landowners with improvements to the public space, as well as through co-ordination with other agencies and processes. This early work is important to help the speed of recovery.

“Staff have been working on temporary streetscape designs to support the reopening of the Central City core, making the area attractive for vehicles, pedestrians and other road users.”

Mr Parker says the team have worked on designing planters, seating, edge restraints and surface treatments which can be moved about to support new areas of the Central City as they are opened up with the reduction of the cordon.

Interpretation panels are being designed and will soon be erected along Oxford Terrace, near Re:Start, to promote the future vision for Papawai Ōtakaro and work is underway creating a programme of art installations linking the Canterbury Museum and Botanic Gardens along the river to Re:Start.

He says other work has been focused on interpretation hoardings to provide public information and encourage engagement with the changing built environment, ways of remembering, supporting a sense of place and navigation throughout the city and the visitor experience. “These will start to appear as Council works with individual property owners and developers in coming months.”

Mr Parker says staff have also being working on recovery co-ordination to ensure the Central City is redeveloped as a vibrant and prosperous place. “Staff are working closely with private developers, both landowners and commercial groups, to provide that critical link for individuals to navigate their way through Council’s processes and connect people and projects to ensure a better outcome for our city and community.

“This is an exciting time in the redevelopment of the Central City but it is also a challenging time as we work through various issues to establish a strong foundation for future growth and development in the area. I know progress can seem slow but I am proud of what has been achieved to date.”

Mr Parker noted a lot of work has also been done on scoping and site investigations for such projects as the Convention Centre and Metro Sports Facility, as well as various transport and arts initiatives, which are being considered as part of this year’s Annual Plan process.