30 July 2012

Striking a balance between investment and community

The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan is a bold vision for our city which creates a framework for investment and looks to fulfil our community’s aspirations for good design and sustainability, says Mayor Bob Parker.

“The Government has made a strong commitment to our city by ensuring the city is redeveloped with world-class facilities, these anchor projects giving us an unequivocal spatial clarity around which private investment can cluster and develop with certainty.

“Just as important is balancing the sense of community, creating a city which is vibrant and in which today’s and future generations want to call home.”

He says the Council recognises the importance of the solid foundation of good investment. “The new convention centre will be iconic and set new standards in design; a new stadium; a new library; new Performing Arts Centre; new indoor swimming pool complex close to Hagley Park; and a range of projects to celebrate the Avon River.

“The public spaces, parks, streetscapes and hubs will also be essential for our City in a Garden and more work needs to be done to ensure that the community vision of a City for People reflects the needs for a 21st Century city.

“For the Council, as a guardian of Christchurch, this Plan is also about community; it is about creating a city that endures by breathing life into the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan.”

Mr Parker says it is through investment and community that the city will prosper. “You need investment to create jobs, you need jobs to attract people and you need people to give a city a bright future.

“The Council will be working closely with the Central Christchurch Development Unit to implement the Plan and importantly ensure the delivery of the 106,000 ideas that our community saw as vital to rebuilding the city and bringing life back to the Central City.”

He says the Council is supportive of the Government’s continued emphasis on high-quality redevelopment and investment in the Central City and will work in collaboration with the Government and key partners, such as Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, to ensure Christchurch thrives and prospers with a strong heart.

“The responsibility now rests with the designers, architects and property owners to embrace the challenge of creating a city that reflects the aspirations set out in the Plan.

“This is an exciting time for our city. We have a Plan and a vision to make Christchurch strong, vibrant and liveable.”

Mr Parker paid tribute to the City Council team who translated the community’s vision for the future that informed and shaped the Plan. “I am extremely proud of the work the Council did in developing the draft Central City Plan and again working with CERA and key partners to finalise the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan.

“Together we have laid the foundation for a city that can be truly designed for the 21st Century; it will be safe, modern, green and will leave a legacy that makes Christchurch one of the bets places in the world to live and work for many generations to come.”

ends

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