I fear things maybe rushed a little. Bulk retail in the cbd wouldn't be very attractive. Is the draft plan which is coming out in next week final or does the public still get a final say?

Light rail, a smaller central business district and a new swimming centre are among features of a draft plan for the rebuild of quake-hit central Christchurch.

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 council refused to release the draft plan before its meeting today, a decision which is in breach of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.

However, The Press has obtained information about its contents from several sources.

A light rail public transport system, a pet project of Mayor Bob Parker, is proposed to link the central city with outlying suburbs.

The first stage of the rail project would connect the city centre to the University of Canterbury, while future links are proposed for the airport and suburban areas, including Hornby, Northlands and New Brighton.

Buses would remain the main form of public transport within the four avenues.

It is understood the plan recommends an intensified business "core". Graduated height restrictions are proposed, with some taller buildings allowed in the core, but low-rise elsewhere in 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.

Residential development would be based largely in the northern, north-western and north-eastern areas of the central city.

Other parts of the city centre would revolve around specialised precincts, a concept which proved popular during the Share an Idea campaign.

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 council is expected to formally adopt the draft plan at its meeting today before it is released for public consultation on Tuesday.

The consultation period, which will include a two-week "roadshow" around the city and an international speakers series, finishes on September 16.

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.

- The Press

View the plan here:


http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/new...n-a-garden#pdf

Wow - I have just spent ages going through the document and CHCH is going to the envy of the world, I am so jealous but very happy for CHCH :)

There are a few points I really like about the plan:

#1. Light Rail - tried and tested public transport solution, though I was a bit dubious about the mention that "buses will still be the main public transport in the four avenues".

#2. District heating - Good for multi-family buildings and commercial buildings, but this doesn't work in sprawled subdivisions. It's been shown in countries where district heating are the norm like Iceland or Sweden that sprawling subdivisions are more difficult and costly to heat - Växjö discovered this.

#3. Green spaces and the mention of "pocket parks" - good stuff!

#4. Green Roofs - Germany and other European countries are huge fans of green roofs. I particularly liked the green roofs I saw in Hammarby Sjöstad so I think they could work very well in ChCh.

Bits I am dubious about:

#1. Height limits. This could be used to prevent any increased density in the city. Whilst the plans are for consistent density to be applied across Christchurch, the reality may be that developers shirk this in favour of true low-rise.

#2. Not addressing sprawl.

#3. The affordable homes initiative may lead to ghetto formation in the inner city due to the city centre having housing priced below market rates. It's a fine balance between affordability and simply encouraging low-income groups to move in and take over an area.


Effectively what this plan is doing is creating a European city centre in Christchurch as many of the initiatives are exactly what exist in European cities currently. I would have liked to see something a little different presented. That being said, there is a reason I like European cities and to have a successful formula applied to ChCh I think is a winning idea. If the inception is as high quality as the plan says it will be, then ChCh has a great future.

http://static2.stuff.co.nz/1313040922/402/5431402.jpg

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 and take 20 years.

Light rail, a smaller central business district (CBD), a new swimming centre and specialised precincts are among features of the draft plan adopted by council today before being released for public consultation on Tuesday.

Full details of the plan, including reaction from key figures and graphics explaining the concepts and proposed timeline, will be in The Press newspaper tomorrow.

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.

PRECINCTS

A cultural precinct, based around the Arts Centre, would be one of 11 areas where similar or compatible activities would be clustered.

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 shopping precinct south of the Cathedral Square would have arcades and narrow pedestrian-oriented lanes and courtyards.

A new aquatic facility would be built on the site of the former Red Bus depot near AMI Stadium and form the heart of a sports precinct.

The draft plan also includes a new convention centre to replace the current centre.

AVON RIVER

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.

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.

The city would be sustained in the short and medium term by using more temporary buildings in empty sections throughout the city.

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 plan proposes changing all the inner-city one-way streets into two-way routes.

Parker said 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.

TIMELINE

The suggested timeline shows the transformation of Christchurch will take many years.

The first project to get underway would be to create a green corridor along the Avon River with work to start in 2013.

By 2016, a new metro sports complex, central library and convention centre would open.

The following year would see the greening of Cathedral Square take place and the hospital redevelopment get underway.

It would be 2018 before the first light rail link would be complete offering a link from the city centre to Canterbury University.

The proposal to change all the inner city one-way roads into two-way streets would take years with the first to switch being Salisbury, Kilmore, Montreal, Durham, St Asaph and Lichfield Street by 2015.

Madras and Barbadoes Streets would become two-way routes by 2020.

A museum, education and research centre focused on earthquakes - the Earthquake Preparedness and Information (EPI) Centre - would not be finished until 2022.

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.

I honestly love every idea I've heard and read so far! Bar the 29m/7 level limit, and also the 30km/h speed limit - I've not read the full report yet, but would this speed limit apply around the Four Avs? That'd really piss me off - going along Bealy or Morehouse at 30km/h.. 50 is too s l o w !

I honestly love every idea I've heard and read so far! Bar the 29m/7 level limit, and also the 30km/h speed limit - I've not read the full report yet, but would this speed limit apply around the Four Avs? That'd really piss me off - going along Bealy or Morehouse at 30km/h.. 50 is too s l o w !

I quite like the speed limit to be honest. I've been to a lot of places around the world that have such speed limits in the centre. Japan in particular is quite a fiend for slow speeds with many streets in Tokyo having a 40 speed limit. Many European cities have speed limits of 30 around any street where there are residents to allow for children playing in the street. Even in Britain which is one of the most car friendly countries in Europe has quite a few 20mph zones in the city centres. My old town has a 20mph limit in the centre too.

I've just spent 1 and half hours glossing over the document and I'm very, very impressed. There are things that concern me such as:

Building Heights

Buses in the CBD

Cars and Speed Limits

But this is only the 1st draft plan and it's very, very good. What I'm excited about is that it will make CHC unique in Australasia - I was starting to get really worried that they were going to copy other places - and to me that would be just wrong... but here we have a plan that will make CHC so special. The key thing for me was - A City within a Garden :banana::banana::banana:

laws encouraging kids to play on the street? that sounds fucking stupid.
as for the city it all sounds pretty encouraging. I don't like the height limits but its a natural knee jerk reaction that is to be expected.

In some ways I think that monicker actually works against their rather interesting and urban suggestions for the city centre. Atlanta in the US is called the city within a forest because so much of it is low-rise that it is hard to see that there is a city there at all as it sprawls like you wouldn't believe. Then of course you have the "Garden City" movement in the US and UK that conjures up images of Milton Keynes and Welwyn Garden City - not exactly the most appealing sides of Britain in my opinion.

Perhaps it is just me with this perception though. After all, it is only a name. :lol:

laws encouraging kids to play on the street? that sounds fucking stupid.
as for the city it all sounds pretty encouraging. I don't like the height limits but its a natural knee jerk reaction that is to be expected.

What's wrong with kids playing in the streets especially in residential only areas? I always used to play in the street as a kid back in Britain - so did all the other kids in the neighbourhood before everyone got a console system of course (it happened later in Britain than it did in the US).

I'm not advocating kids playing in the street in the city centre, however, the 30kmph limit is far more pedestrian friendly and much better for inner city residents when it comes to traffic noise. It will also make the CBD even less appealing to the boy racers.

:lol::lol:I'm in Welyen Garden City next weekend for a wedding:lol::lol: I hear what you are saying Svarty about MK, WGC and places like that.

The more I read the plan - I like it - but I'm concerned about a specific area that would allow for taller buildings. If big business, hotels etc need height, we should provide it for them and not be dictated to by nimbys who believe that tall buildings are not safe in earthquakes. For goodness sake - the damn things stood up and no one died in them. Those who died were on the streets or in a very badly built 5,6 or 7 story building :ohno::ohno:

I agree with you IHNL - the height things is a knee jerk reaction by some. People are questioning it already.

^^ The height limit currently has 83% support on the Herald website. I'm not sure if the concern is safety or just the general NZ animosity towards tall buildings. My suspicion is the latter.

Mayor unveils $2b vision for Christchurch
By Jarrod Booker
5:30 AM Friday Aug 12, 2011




Tall buildings will be done away with and risky riverside areas kept free of development in an ambitious $2 billion vision for the new Christchurch city centre.

The draft Central City Plan adopted yesterday proposes a host of new developments and financial incentives to encourage businesses and residents to return to the central city area that has suffered heavily in the recent earthquakes.

But critics are questioning whether the city can afford such grand projects, when many Christchurch people are still in need.

Much of the city centre's existing fabric is being torn down because of quake damage, and Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said it presented a rare opportunity to create a world-class city centre.

"We would all rather [the earthquakes] hadn't happened, but this is a chance to seize the moment. I don't think many cities around the world have ever had this opportunity."

The plan calls for the creation of a "safe, sustainable, high-tech, low-rise city in a garden", with an emphasis on a smaller central business district, plenty of green space and a $406 million light rail system which will connect the city centre to Canterbury University in the city's northwest suburbs.

Christchurch-based MP and former mayoral hopeful Jim Anderton said the devil was always in the detail.

He said he found it hard to believe a city the size of Christchurch, with a small CBD, could afford light rail.

"I have seen these light rail systems around the world, and they sometimes bankrupt cities," Mr Anderton said.

"It's not just grand ideas - there's got to be some reality to how you are going to fund them."

Mr Parker said the estimated $1.9 billion for projects outlined in the plan would be covered by reprioritised local funds, insurance, subsidies, borrowing and the Christchurch City Council would be seeking contributions from the Government.

Engineers have concluded most of the land in the central city is safe to rebuild on, but liquefaction-prone areas closest to the Avon River - which runs through the city centre - will not be built on.

The smaller CBD would be characterised by new low-rise buildings, no greater than six to seven storeys.

Most of the deaths in the February quake were in multi-storey buildings.

"Our people have told us very clearly 'we don't want to go into those tall buildings anymore'," Mr Parker said.

"They don't have a place in our city."

To encourage businesses and residents to make the city centre their home, the council has proposed a series of grants and rebates.

Residents could be offered financial assistance to reduce the deposit required for a house in the area, while the council may underwrite loans for businesses and provide grants per employee for a business which agrees to set up in the central city.

The council also proposed doing away with the requirements of school zoning for families who chose to live in the city centre, so proximity to schools of their choice was not a barrier.

"It may be harder to achieve, but you can see the logic in it," Mr Parker said.

The public will get to have its say on the draft Central City Plan, before it goes to the Government for consideration by Christmas.

Mr Parker said he doubted every idea in the plan would get "universal acceptance".

Some people might see the light rail plan, which would eventually cost about $4 billion when extended right across the city, as "just madness".

Mr Anderton said Mr Parker was "in dreamland" if he thought he could find $4 billion for light rail.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10744535

So I take it that 18,000 university students require V.I.P transport to and from the Loaded Hog?.

400 million Vs Long term stability of your community.

Yes Bob.You are officially bat shit crazy :nuts:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/5425694/Quick-rebuild-vital-for-tourism

Yes Bob.You are officially bat shit crazy :nuts:

Hi. We want the light rail.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/5425694/Quick-rebuild-vital-for-tourism

Metro!!!!!!! Please post the article..........if I do it for all of you - you ALL can do it!!!!:madwife:

Metro!!!!!!! Please post the article..........if I do it for all of you - you ALL can do it!!!!:madwife:

Just a little heads up on the issue of articles. We are not meant to reproduce articles verbatim on SSC. We are meant to title them, provide the first paragraph to give context to the title and then post a link to the rest of the article.

This rule is widely flouted on SSC, though and I'm not moderator for this section so I just turn a blind eye. :lol:

My concern as the article suggests is that the draft plan is going to happen rediculously slowly, over 20 years. To get the city back on the map it has to be done much quicker. The article concerning height limits is becoming a topic for debate, while the Herald voted unaminously in favour of height restrictions, that was an Auckland newspaper and people are beginnig to question this decision. Little has been said about the expansion of centres like Riccarton and Hornby to name a few, who no doubt will be drawing up expansion plans as we speak. It will be much quicker to expand these types of areas than the time it takes to rebuild the cbd.

Metro!!!!!!! Please post the article..........if I do it for all of you - you ALL can do it!!!!:madwife:

How is posting a link worse than simply copying the whole article? Personally I would rather read an article on its original website than a copied version here it reduces clutter.

Even a title would be nice for the article. Just to know what its about so we can decide if we want to read it now, or later.

How is posting a link worse than simply copying the whole article? Personally I would rather read an article on its original website than a copied version here it reduces clutter.

Sweetheart - you are such a classic... ;-)

Just a little heads up on the issue of articles. We are not meant to reproduce articles verbatim on SSC. We are meant to title them, provide the first paragraph to give context to the title and then post a link to the rest of the article.

This rule is widely flouted on SSC, though and I'm not moderator for this section so I just turn a blind eye. :lol:

Thank you svarty x

Even a title would be nice for the article. Just to know what its about so we can decide if we want to read it now, or later.

As the boy says, just a title would help - other wise it's just dead link which people don't comment on :ohno: please...

www.stuff.co.nz

Many business owners in the cbd have questioned whether the cbd will ever be prosperous again. Building height limits and restrictions on expansion in the suburban areas in my view have the potential to hinder growth in the region.

Again - another very interesting atricle - this whole thing about the height of buildings is really developing into something.......... something what this whole web site it about - tall buildings!!

I agreee Metro, if developers can't choose to buided their buildings to an economic, safe height it would appear to me that the council (more so the people of CHC) would be cutting off their noses to spite their faces. What the Council need to be doing is identifying where the best area is to build tall buildings and encourage it - this would not affect other areas that that would be low rise and attractive to live, work and play...

Ideas proposed by Christchurch residents for the rebuild of the city centre were reflected in the new Central City Plan, a word analysis shows.



http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/5443155/Rebuild-plan-reflects-popular-ideas

While the plan for the cbd is a good one, it doesn't necessarily reflect the growth of the region, if anything it appears symbolic. The cbd will be a quarter of it present size and if things go to plan 19,000 people will have relocated back into the cbd by 2015. I see the future as a Super Council which not only unifies the region, also addresses the growth on the outskirts. To me the revitalised cbd is really about restoring a cultural and heritage hub, it doesn't address the future growth of the region. The growth on the outskirts clearly outstrips that of the city, it shouldn't be made to suffer.

I completely fail to see the point in having actual height restrictions in place. Surely if people "don't want" high-rise as much as everyone is saying, then the developers wouldn't build high anyway. If developers find there is less resistance after all and people are willing to live and work in high-rise buildings, why shouldn't they be able to build taller?

Especially as there is absolutely no evidence that tall buildings are any less safe, and the main buildings that failed would have been allowed under the proposed height restrictions.

Taller buildings appear to have been vilified, despite the fact that the tallest structure Pacific towers was possibly the safest structure in the city at the time of the quake. Thankfully, there will still be some height as not all the highrises will be pulled down. To me the blueprint for the new cbd isn't forward thinking enough in regards to growth. Mayor Bob initially envisioned aiming to grow a Christchurch or Metro population of up to a million in a few decades, this doesn't point the way to that.

There are plenty of major cities in the world in seismic zones that have highrise buildings and i don't see them putting height restrictions after major quakes. I do love the look of the plan with all the greenery and more of a focus on the river. But i think the height restrictions could possibly hurt the cities prospects in the future for business and hospitality trades. I was in CHC back in nov 97 and loved the place and it's heartbreaking to see all the things you have had to put up with. " the city will rise like a pheonix " i hope to revisit in the future.

I think the CCC might be playing a tactacle game here with the height restrictions - of course we are going to see a lovely low rise city in the areas that the nimbys will shop in and they think is the city centre - but I believe a new commercial hub will come about and be built.

The tight new boundries for the redevelopment plan will be this low rise area and a very nice place to be, but with the planned hospital and medical education and research facilities requiring height, I could imagine that the area around the hospital and towards Addington might well serve as new commercial high rise area??? It would offer wonderful views and still be close to the heart of the low rise area.

I think the Council are drawing the poison from all the nimbys early, getting this debate about height out in the open quickly, so they can debunk the myth about height being dangerous.

The Mayor, and I believe the plan (I need to read over it again), have hinted that the height restriction can be overlooked and additional floors added to buildings if they are of exceptional design and quality :banana::banana:

I think the CCC might be playing a tactacle game here with the height restrictions - of course we are going to see a lovely low rise city in the areas that the nimbys will shop in and they think is the city centre - but I believe a new commercial hub will come about and be built.

The tight new boundries for the redevelopment plan will be this low rise area and a very nice place to be, but with the planned hospital and medical education and research facilities requiring height, I could imagine that the area around the hospital and towards Addington might well serve as new commercial high rise area??? It would offer wonderful views and still be close to the heart of the low rise area.

I think the Council are drawing the poison from all the nimbys early, getting this debate about height out in the open quickly, so they can debunk the myth about height being dangerous.

The Mayor, and I believe the plan (I need to read over it again), have hinted that the height restriction can be overlooked and additional floors added to buildings if they are of exceptional design and quality :banana::banana:

I hope this is indeed the case, because an indiscriminate height restriction of mere 7 floor is gonna wreck havoc.

There is an article which is only available to subscribers of NBR NZ which shows concern about Christchurch loosing business because of the height restrictions. Hopefully you are right Davee as the current rebuild of the cbd, would not appear to be able to accommodate the 50,000 plus workers who once worked in the cbd. If what Davee suggests is the case, Bob is keeping his cards close to his chest, hopefully for the future of the region that is the case.

Modern offices in modern cities have about 20 sq m per person. With 19,000 people in the CBD, per the plan, at seven stories of height, they could be accommodated in an area about 230m x 230m. That is not much bigger Cathedral Square. Alternatively 230m is about the distance from Oxford Tce to Colombo St, and from Lichfield St to Hereford St, so they would fill about 2 central city blocks (assuming no one was anywhere else in ChCh). On this basis, 50,000 people all together would fill about 5 city blocks. (Maybe that is enough) Maybe more to the point, if 19,000 people are expected to return to the CBD and half the CBD buildings will not be demolished, doesn't that mean that without any new buildings at all there will still be spare space for 6,000 people?

The details while not final appear more to provide for a cultural precinct, sport and leisure. There will still be some height as Pacific Towers and a few other buildings with height are not likely to go away. A new area around Addington or nearer the hospital sounds more feasible, one that has area to grow and is not too heavily constricted.

I read somewhere that tall buildings will still be allowed in the CBD Core but outside all must be 6-7 floors or 35m. That will make for the CBD to stay dense and not spread out so much as it is now.

According to the Draft Plan, the CBD core will have a 29-metre (up to 9-storey) maximum. The 'fringe' area next to it will have a 21-metre (up to 6-storey) maximum, and the remaining 'old-CBD' areas will have a limit between 8 and 18 metres (2-5 storeys).

From the NZ Herald:

The smaller CBD would be characterised by new low-rise buildings, no greater than six to seven storeys.

Most of the deaths in the February quake were in multi-storey buildings.

"Our people have told us very clearly 'we don't want to go into those tall buildings anymore'," Mr Parker said.

"They don't have a place in our city."

Gotta love the reporting here - in actual fact ALL of the deaths were in buildings that were seven storeys or LESS. So to imply it's some huge necessity of public safety that buildings over seven storeys are essentially banned city-wide is pretty irresponsible.

I mean realistically, Christchurch has plenty of space and doesn't need high-rise like other earthquake-prone cities like Wellington, San Franscisco or Tokyo. The biggest concern for me would be the hotel industry - if exemptions aren't handed out for hotel reconstruction projects I shudder to think what would happen to the city's room capacity.

I think the CCC might be playing a tactacle game here with the height restrictions - of course we are going to see a lovely low rise city in the areas that the nimbys will shop in and they think is the city centre - but I believe a new commercial hub will come about and be built.

The tight new boundries for the redevelopment plan will be this low rise area and a very nice place to be, but with the planned hospital and medical education and research facilities requiring height, I could imagine that the area around the hospital and towards Addington might well serve as new commercial high rise area??? It would offer wonderful views and still be close to the heart of the low rise area.

I think the Council are drawing the poison from all the nimbys early, getting this debate about height out in the open quickly, so they can debunk the myth about height being dangerous.

The Mayor, and I believe the plan (I need to read over it again), have hinted that the height restriction can be overlooked and additional floors added to buildings if they are of exceptional design and quality :banana::banana:
Since the Cbd is largely being remodelled along the lines of a European city, a common denominator of many European cities is a finanacial or commericial hub which contains highrise located away from the centre of the city.

A lot of the ideas in the plan are good. BUT the height restriction is ridiculous. According to the central city plan the MAX height allowed will be 29m, that is only 7 Commercial levels and less than even the relatively low level 30m height of Christchurch Hospital. Business leaders and building owners have already said if they cant re-build to the same hight, then they will simply go to Wellington or Auckland, and fair enough.
The plan to massively reduce the height limit to only 7 stories in the CBD and to 4 on the outskirts is incredibly short sighted. Height is NOT a danger in earthquakes, poor design is. Reducing the CBD to a quarter the size is also too extreme. This height restriction is a disaster for Chch business and it's future in so many ways. The city has limited hight based on knee-jerk reactions of its citizens and local politicians after the big quakes, it is in no way based on facts. Yes, I know, people do "feel" safer in low rise, but its an illusion. A poorly built 7 level building can be a death trap, while a well built high rise will survive and people will walk away alive.
Just a couple of interesting points to note, CTV was 6 floors, PGC was 5 floors and both collapsed. Most of the buildings that failed and collapsed, killing people were no more than 4 floors. None of the tall buildings over 7 floors collapsed, more likely than not because high rise buildings have much more stringent standards and are built with steal frames. This new height limit would've saved not one single life, thats a fact. So where did this 7 story limit come from?

Who had the bright idea of limiting building heights to a pitiful 29m while simultaneously shrinking the CDB to a quarter of its current size? How do they plan to replace buildings like the 26-storey Grand Chancellor? This is the most short sighted policy they could've come up with and very anti business and not at all future proof. Chch CBD will become a tightly packed, boring, low rise 3rd rate CBD which will not attract the bigger companies as they will all go to Auckland and Wellington where they can build cost effective high rise buildings for their employees. The PWC building is 76m, the new height limit will be 29m, what a joke.

Exactly right, once a strong argument in favour of raising the high limits comes about the cbd is resigned to being a small boutique city with much less commericial activity as a result. Maybe business groups infavour of raising height limits are in the process of doing this in conjunction visiting overseas experts.

These businesses may even relocate their S.I.head office to Dunedin as it still has a 14 level limit. Which would be a major boost to that city.

One year on much has changed and not too many well established cities in the modern era have to face what Christchurch has had to go through. The issue regarding height limits, at the moment is simply a way the council can appease the nimbies and reassure a sceptical public. In terms of underlying agenda, it is probably very much on the mind of business leaders and council leaders to have a new commercial zone catering to big business interests. Once things settle down and well informed information from overseas experts on building safe highrise is presented, things may change. Cera was prepared to locate its offices to a highrise as a sign of confidence. At the moment no one appears to be showing their hand regarding this issue, as it is still a somewhat delicate subject.

http://www.christchurchnz.com/media/2141607/future%20of%20christchurch%20presentation.pdf

Under the so-called "Garden City Plan", why are new buildings' heights being restricted in the Christchurch CBD?

Whoever came up with this plan must have thought that the next time Christchurch tried to construct a building with eight or more floors, it will suffer serious damage the next time the city is struck by a major earthquake (4.0 or higher on the scale) and end up having to be dismantled. Also, any measures that will help any newly-constructed building in Christchurch withstand earthquakes would probably make that new building have high construction costs.

Because having a 4 story building in the middle of a park is more aethetically pleasing than a 20 story.. I know, it's ridiculous.

Any logical person would agree that a 20 floor building with some park around it would be better than 5x4 floor buildings taking up 5 times as much space.:ohno:

Until the earthquakes, they housed high-rise apartment buildings where residents enjoyed views over Hagley Park in Christchurch.

Now the two sites - one on Carlton Mill Rd and one on Deans Ave - are bare blocks of land up for sale.

The Millbrook Apartments at 21 Carlton Mill Rd in Merivale, built in the 1960s and with 37 apartments, were red-stickered after the February 2011 quake and demolished last August.

Heatherlea at 10 Ayr St in Riccarton on the Deans Ave corner, built by entrepreneur John Britten in the 1980s with 19 apartments and a tennis court, was demolished in December.

In both cases, individual owners have pursued their own insurance claims and the bodies corporate representing them have put up the land for sale.

Both blocks have Hagley Park across the road and are in high to medium density residential zones. Both are for sale by tender with May deadlines.

The Riccarton property is the bigger of the two, at 5207 square metres. It has a rating valuation of $6.5 million.

It is being marketed by Jonathan Lyttle, of Colliers, who says he has already had interest from residential developers, hotel developers, and "high net-worth individuals".

Lyttle says the block would be ideal for terraced housing or a small gated community.

He says zoning already allows for multi-storey development, but developers wanting to go higher could consider existing use rights or apply for resource consent.

"It is a brilliant site and everybody who has expressed an interest recognises it's a great location.

"Without the earthquakes it would not have become available for redevelopment for a long time."

The Merivale property covers 2253sq m and has a rating valuation of $1.95 million.

It is in three titles, and has entrances onto both Rhodes St and Hewitts Rd as well as Carlton Mill Rd.

Marketing agent Philip Cooper, also of Colliers, says the zoning on the site allows for high-density housing, including high-rise apartments.

"It's a development opportunity - the site lends itself to that because of the zoning and it's so close to town. But it would also make a stunning site to build two or three significant homes," Cooper says. "A lot of people" have shown interest in the property since it went up for sale.

Other high-profile apartment complexes to have come down in Christchurch, leaving bare sites, include the Water's Edge complex in Ferrymead, the Gallery apartments in Gloucester St, the Terrace on the Park apartment block on Park Terrace, Cranmer Courts opposite Cranmer Square, and the Cave Rock apartments in Sumner.

The protracted process in drawing up plans for a new convention centre in Christchurch is holding back hotel investment and frustrating tourism and business events leaders.
More than two years after the 2011 earthquake, details of who will operate, own and pay for the centre remain unknown.
The delay is deterring much-needed hotel investment with the city suffering an “accommodation crisis” during the summer, Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism chief executive Tim Hunter said.
Hunter partly blamed the delay to a decision by the Government to handle the convention centre process after much of the initial work had already been done.
“What is frustrating is that Christchurch City Council went through the process of scoping the convention centre on the basis that they owned the old building, they would get an insurance payout and would build a new one,” Hunter told Travel Today. “That process was taken over by the government and we had to start from scratch.”
The council even employed Deloitte to draw up a report and formed a steering committee to consult with the industry.
Hunter said he “didn’t blame anyone” for the change in direction and suggested some of the early thinking that went into the project would not be wasted.
But he admitted the process had been delayed and was preventing investors from committing to any hotel projects.
“We have confirmation that we are getting a new convention centre and we have a site but we still don’t know who is going to own it, fund it, and operate it,” Hunter said. “Not knowing that is a problem because people who want to build new hotels want to see certainty that we are going to a get a certain scale of convention centre.
“That is really holding back quite a bit of investment confidence. It is frustrating because we are desperately short of rooms.”
New Zealand prime minister John Key said the location of the convention centre has “theoretically” been identified as part of the CBD rebuild and said negotiations over funding between the government and “interested parties” were ongoing.
While Key didn’t put a timeframe on any conclusion to negotiations, Hunter predicted details of the specification, funding and ownership could emerge sometime between June and September. Once details are released it should trigger firm interest from hotel investors, he said.
Before the earthquake, Christchurch handled 25% of New Zealand’s conference market. It now has a 3% share.
Meanwhile, the PM said Queenstown has identified land for a new convention centre and is undertaking a design and consultation process.
“The council has identified land and the land looks like it could be consented quite quickly,” Key said. “They have not formally come to the Government for money yet but my guess is they probably will.
http://www.travelweekly.com.au/travel-today/news/c-church-calls-for-end-to-convention-centre-delay?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Travel%20Weekly%20Newsletter%20-%20send%20-%3E%2030/04/2013%2012:49:35%20PM&utm_content=

Victoria Central. This will be a good one. No sign of work yet.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll10/milanluka/CHC%20General%20Rebuilds/156_zps71b8902f.jpg (http://s284.photobucket.com/user/milanluka/media/CHC%20General%20Rebuilds/156_zps71b8902f.jpg.html)

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll10/milanluka/CHC%20General%20Rebuilds/157_zps911bb16a.jpg (http://s284.photobucket.com/user/milanluka/media/CHC%20General%20Rebuilds/157_zps911bb16a.jpg.html)

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/the-rebuild/8639142/Owners-resisting-Govt-buy-up

The Government has already bought $12.5 million worth of land for a proposed performing arts precinct in Christchurch's city centre.

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) is also in negotiations to acquire another $21.1m in city centre property for the proposed arts district, but many owners do not want to sell and one has called the process "confiscation and thievery".

Christchurch property developer Angus McFarlane has sold about half a hectare of land with a rateable value of about $12.5m to Cera. The land is in the block bounded by New Regent, Armagh, Colombo and Gloucester streets earmarked for a performing arts centre in the earthquake recovery blueprint released last year.

The precinct also includes the block to the north between the Avon River, Colombo St and Armagh St, but Cera has not yet started the acquisition process for that land.

McFarlane has decided to sell his Christchurch properties out of frustration with rebuild progress.

Cera has published a notice in The Press stating the intention to buy the majority of the block, except for the New Regent St properties, the Theatre Royal and the Forsyth Barr building site.

Many site owners in the block do not want to sell their land to Cera.

Landowners David Sloan, Paul Chaney and Peter Schneideman, who own three separate plots of land, said they wanted to retain and develop their sites.

"I don't think anyone wants to sell. It is confiscation and thievery.

"I am not happy at all with what Cera have offered for my land," said Sloan.

Development of the performing arts precinct, which would include two auditoriums and provide a permanent home for the Court Theatre and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, is partly dependent on whether the Christchurch City Council chooses to restore the Town Hall.

Blueprint director Warwick Isaacs said land purchases could go ahead for some parts of the proposed precinct as they are not dependent on the Town Hall.

"The composition of the precinct is still a work in the progress as further decisions are awaited on the Town Hall," he said.

"To date, the Crown has agreements in place for the purchase of 33.5 per cent of the land area designated for the precinct. In some parts of the Performing Arts Precinct designation, the land acquisition can proceed as the planned components are unaffected by decisions on the Town Hall."

Repair options for the Town Hall are being drawn up and councillors will vote on the plans in June, said a spokeswoman for the Christchurch City Council. The repair is estimated to cost $127.5m but $68.9m is expected to be covered by insurance.

A director of the company that owns the Forsyth Barr tower, Peter Rae, said the building was not included in the current round of negotiations due to uncertainty over its fate.

Rae said he may know if the building is being demolished or repaired in the next two months.

Isaacs said no decision has been made on whether to buy the Forsyth Barr building.

So we will know by July on the fate of the Forsyth barr building its looking very doubtful that it will be saved now.