Rebuild Christchurch Excited over Planned Central City Rebuild Plan
“Providing clarity and direction”. That’s how Rebuild Christchurch director, Deon Swiggs describes what the blueprint for the CBD redevelopment has achieved for the city.
Swiggs says as Christchurch moves into its 157th year as a city, the announcement late Monday evening is one of the most important moments that will shape our city for the future, after the devastating Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.
“The plan announced on Monday evening will ensure that Christchurch, will flourish with green precincts and the river precinct being major projects in the CBD. This is particularly appropriate given we are known as the Garden City internationally,” he says.
Rebuild Christchurch will be thrilled to see the commencement of these developments, and will watch with interest over the next few years to see how the plan takes shape.
“We are pleased that the Government has announced another independent Government group, Invest Christchurch, who alongside the CCDU will make the plan reality. This will enable CERA to now work extensively on their city wide approach to ensure that the centre and suburbs of Christchurch are rebuilt together, ensuring our residents stay.”
Swiggs adds that he would like to see CERA put more pressure on EQC and private insurance companies to provide Christchurch residents - especially those in the TC3 zones - better direction and clarity relating to the rebuild and repair timeframes and processes.
“This is an exciting time for Christchurch to be moving forward and it is important that we do it together as much as possible, alongside one another,” he says.
ENDS
Please contact Deon Swiggs on 027 579 4447 for further information
www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz
About Rebuild Christchurch:
Immediately after the September earthquake in 2010, residents of Christchurch were looking for information that would assist and inform them. As others grabbed shovels to assist neighbours, CPIT business student Deon Swiggs grabbed his laptop and began collating information from a variety of sources, and placed the information in an easy to read and understandable format at the URL www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz
Since then, over 4 million ‘hits’ and countless volunteer hours later, a huge amount of expertise has gone into keeping www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz up-to-date and relevant for the people of Christchurch and Canterbury. This independent website has become the “unofficial / official” site for information relevant to the recovery and rebuild in Christchurch, often accessed and used by the media and key rebuild organisations, for information they know is accurate and up to date.
The Rebuild Christchurch Foundation has recently been established to oversee and manage donations and grants, and facilitate important relationships being developed with organisations key to the earthquake recovery in Christchurch.
The man who established Rebuild Christchurch, Deon Swiggs, is in for the long haul and his team continues to oversee projects including Project Move, which provides practical assistance to families relocating from the red zone. The inaugural Let’s Get It Done weekend in Sept 2011 has been repeated three times, helping Christchurch people to remove debris and clear their sections of silt. This initiative has been particularly helpful to the elderly and people living in Christchurch, with no extended family to support them.
Additional: www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz was formed with the aim of helping the residents, businesses and those outside the city, to access information being released by official channels, in an easily accessible and understood way. www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz is a “one stop shop”, if you like, for all information pertinent to the Christchurch recovery and rebuild.