Community invited to provide feedback on proposals for the recovery of the east

9 July 2014

New high schools, a city-to-sea river park, eco-sanctuary, flatwater sports lake, heritage garden park, wave garden, and aquatic centres are among more than 25 proposals from the public for the eastern suburbs that feedback is now being sought on.

EVO::SPACE, “Eastern Vision’s on-line spatial planning application for community engagement” is a new website providing an “evolutionary space” for ideas and comment.

“Eastern Vision is a group of community leaders who want to help communities create a big-picture plan for the whole of the east that everyone supports and that will still work in 100 years time,” says former councillor Rev Peter Beck, convenor of Eastern Vision.

“To do this we need to consider some general guiding principles and how proposals for the future can fit together spatially.”

Over the course of the next 8 weeks Eastern Vision will be running a series of workshops and drop-in sessions for the public, to promote the website and encourage as many as possible to participate in the feedback processes throughout greater Christchurch.

“We realise that many in the east are still struggling to get their homes fixed and are still dealing with road works and bridge closures.

“However despite all these horrendous challenges, the earthquakes have also presented us with tremendous opportunities particularly in the east, to reinvent our city in ways that might otherwise not be possible.

“It is now timely to look at what those opportunities might be, and it is crucial that that discussion starts and ends with the people in the communities, rather than behind closed doors in recovery agencies,” says Beck.

Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, will be able to give their opinion.

“It’s very important that young people including our children have an equal say, which is why it is great to see schools involved, after all it is our children and their children who will be living in our new city in the future.

“This programme will complement CERA’s public consultation on the residential red zones. The feedback we collect and our analysis and Recovery Map for the East that we produce from this, will be published and forwarded to CERA and CCC.

“I encourage you to get involved in these discussions, I know that your voice will be heard and have real influence,” says Beck.

The website address is http://evospace.co.nz. This programme is funded by the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust: “Tomorrow starts here”.

Eastern Vision exists ‘to assist the communities of the east of Christchurch to become vibrant, prosperous, empowered and sustainable, which together with the development of stunning natural assets and amenities, will comprise an outstanding location for people to live, learn, work, invest, play and visit.’

Our mission is to play a leadership role in realising this vision. Although we claim no mandate for such a leadership role, we will actively facilitate a mandate from communities for the vision by endorsing and upholding the Principles of Community Engagement for the Recovery of Greater Christchurch.

Our objectives are:

1. To facilitate a big picture road map for the recovery of the east that is:
• Community-engaged
• Collaborative and iterative
• Innovative
• Based on quality urban planning
• Spatially integrated
• Mindful of constraints
• Sustainable long-term
• Inspiring of confidence for all sectors
• Endorsed by all recovery agencies.

2. To facilitate collaborative relationships between communities, community organisations, rūnanga, private sectors, consultants and recovery authorities, that support engagement of these stakeholders and integration of activities, in both the delivery of the road map and realisation of the vision.

3. To monitor the recovery of the east with respect to the agreed road map and advocate for compliance where differences are identified.

4. To secure funding and establish a fund-holding mechanism, to deliver the above.

5. To facilitate the establishment of a Charitable Trust, that includes strong community representation, to administer and manage funding for the implementation of the agreed road map.

ENDS

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