Christchurch Central City Plan

Christchurch City councillors have this morning adopted a landmark draft plan for the rebuild of the quake-hit central city and will open it for public consultation.
The plan is expected to cost about $2 billion.
Light rail, a smaller central business district (CBD) and a new swimming centre are among features of the draft plan adopted by council today before being released for public consultation on Tuesday.
>> Click here to see the plan
The plan, prepared by the Christchurch City Council, does not include any geotechnical information about the state of the land.
However, engineering consultants Tonkin & Taylor have said that the central city is generally safe for rebuilding.
The draft plan also proposes an $8 million memorial to those who died in February’s earthquake, which would be a “space”, rather than an “object”. The site is yet to be decided
It also says a purpose-built museum and research institute will be built, called the Earthquake Preparedness and Information Centre.
A light rail public transport system is proposed to link the central city with outlying suburbs.
The first stage would connect the city centre to Canterbury University, while future links are proposed for the airport and suburban areas, including Hornby, Northlands and New Brighton.
However, buses would remain the main form of public transport within the four avenues.
The plan also proposes limiting buildings in the central city “core” to six or seven storeys – a maximum of 29 metres.
Fringe areas would be limited to 21m (four or five levels), while buildings on the edge of the city would be limited to 17m (four levels).
The height plans would create an “iconic city”, with buildings that had a consistent density, respected heritage and connected well to streets.
A cultural precinct would be based in the area around the Arts Centre.
Entertainment precincts, including the Lichfield lanes area, are proposed to have relaxed noise-level restrictions. There is also a proposal for an international area south of Lichfield St.
A new aquatic facility would be built on the site of the former Red Bus depot near AMI Stadium. The draft plan also includes a new convention centre to replace the current centre.
The Avon River is likely to play a more prominent role in the central city, after residents and experts expressed concerns about how it had been used.
The river will have a 30-metre setback on each side, allowing the council to develop a green belt for pedestrians and cyclists. Cycleways are also proposed through the city.
The city would be sustained in the short and medium term by using more temporary buildings in empty sections throughout the city.
Other ideas include offering free parking in council parking buildings and creating a covered market, which could cater for some small businesses who lost their low-rent buildings in the earthquake.
Development would be based largely in the northern, northwestern and northeastern areas of the central city.
Financial incentives would be offered to businesses that chose to move into the central city. Other incentives would be given to buildings with strong environmental and urban design features.
FIVE THEMED CHAPTERS
The central city plan has more than 70 projects to be implemented over the next 10 to 20 years.
It has five chapters, based on five themes which emerged from the Share an Idea expo in May: Green city, Market city, City life, Distinctive city and Transport choice.
In summary they say:
Green city: Avon Park, Cathedral Square, pocket parks, green design, roof gardens.
Distinctive city: Low rise, smaller core, new lane networks, precincts, incentives for good urban design.
Transport choice: Light rail, new ring road, new cycleways, slow streets.
New amenities: metro sports facility including an acquatic centre, earthquake memorial, earthquake preparedness institute, new central library, convention centre, a new central city playground, a performance and rehearsal space, a professional theatre and an arts and creative industries complex.
CAR-CENTRIC CITY NEEDED CHANGE
Speaking to media outside the Christchurch Art Gallery at lunchtime, Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said the scale of destruction caused by the February 22 earthquake literally meant a rebuild of the CBD.
Big issues around the world, such as climate change, brought additional pressure to the plan, and the city needed to become a leader in sustainability.
“We recognise that the car-centric city we had become needed some change.”
The biggest contributor to the plan was the Share An Idea expo, which brought 106,000 ideas for the city’s future.
It was an “inspirational” project of public consultation, Parker said.
He outlined some of the key ideas that came from the public during that process, including the need for more green spaces and the desire to become a “more iconic place” and create “a more human-scale environment.”
Despite Tonkin & Taylor saying the CBD was safe to rebuild on, it was recognised that land around the Avon River was more unstable and the draft plan suggested “pulling back” from the river.
The other big move for the city would be towards more low-rise buildings.
PLAN DEDICATED TO DEAD AND INJURED
Parker said the plan was still in the draft stage, but it was important to show central government that the council could take responsibility for Christchurch.
“I’m kind of excited about it all. It’s not the end of the job by any means, it’s a really strong starting point.
“What we’re looking for [now] is constructive criticism.”
Earlier he said today was signficant for the city after three months of intensive work.
He said the draft plan was dedicated to those who lost their lives or were injured in February’s earthquake with inspiration from Share An Idea.
The council did not want to diminish what people in the city’s eastern suburbs were still going through, said Parker. He recognised the toll the quakes continued to take on the city, but said Christchurch had to focus on the future.
The plan needed to have a balance between people’s aspirations for the city and the need to have people invest in the city.
“Nothing happens if you don’t have a city that people feel they can invest in.”
The plan needed to work for business people, while also respecting the past and providing a long-term view of the future.
TOP 10 CHANGES
The top 10 changes identified are:
1. Avon River: the banks will be widened to create a riverfront park with boardwalks and pedestrian and cycle friendly areas
2. Compact CBD: shops and offices will be encourage to be in a smaller, concentrated area bounded by Lichfield, Manchester and Kilmore streets and the Avon River
3. Light rail: to link the central city and key attractions with the university, Lyttelton, Rolleston and Rangiora
4. Metro sports hub: an aquatic centre, indoor stadium, health and fitness centre, and elite performance and training facilities
5. Christchurch Hospital: establish a health precinct with a redeveloped hospital to attract a range of health and medical businesses and research and training institutes
6. Cathedral Square: create a greener civic and cultural hub for people to visit, picnic, or simply linger
7. Central Library: a new central library to be built
8. Transport choice: making the city easier to get to and about by making it safer and more pleasant to walk, cycle, use public transport, or drive and park
9. Convention Centre: a new world-class centre
10. Neighbourhood Parks: a network of parks and gardens spread throughout the central city.
WHERE TO FROM HERE
A mail drop of the plan to every Christchurch households will take place on August 20.
The consultation period will include a two-week roadshow in early September.
The council will hold hearings on written submissions in October, before a final version of the plan is presented to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority for approval in December.

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