Council supports locally led regeneration

Supporting a step-change in local leadership and progressively passing management of the rebuild to the local community is the focus of Christchurch City Council's submission to the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Bill.

The Council today approved a submission supporting the purpose of the Central Government Bill, and the establishment of Regenerate Christchurch as a joint entity to lead the regeneration of the Central City, residential red zone, New Brighton and other areas referred by the Council.

The submission raises a number of key points, including:

• The use of the pre-existing legislative framework, based on powers created during the National State of Emergency, is inadequate to address the city's needs.

• The purpose of the Bill should be strengthened to be more explicit
about the nature of the recovery powers that are carried over from the CER Act.

• The sense that the Bill doesn't distinguish sufficiently between the city and the two districts, the region and Ngai Tahu and that Christchurch cannot be relegated to the position of strategic partner along with all the others when it comes to the city.

• More explicit criteria are required around the Minister's role in approving regeneration plans.

• Stronger requirements needed around the disposal of Crown owned land, to enable opportunities to consider all government and Council land for its regeneration potential before any decisions are made to dispose of it.

The submission will also ask the Crown to consider introducing a legislative mechanism to require public (EQC) and private insurers to reach agreed timeframes for settlement of outstanding claims. This aim would be to give more certainty for residents still working through the claim process.

The Mayor and Chief Executive Karleen Edwards will speak to the submission at the Select Committee.
The submission can be viewed in full on the Council website.

ENDS

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