Thursday 12 March 2015

Design begins on Eastern Recreation and Sport Centre

A milestone project for Christchurch's eastern suburbs is about to take shape, with Councillors today agreeing to proceed with the design of the Eastern Recreation and Sport Centre.

The facility will be located at QEII Park along with Avonside Girls' and Shirley Boys' High School. The Ministry of Education recently announced QEII Park was the preferred site for the two schools.

It was also decided at today's Council meeting that a joint workshop will be held to further discuss the scope of the new facility. Representatives from the Council's Communities, Housing and Economic Development Committee, the Burwood-Pegasus Community Board and the Community Advisory Group (which includes representatives from a group of eight community and sport organisations in north east Christchurch) will attend the workshop.

Burwood-Pegasus Community Board Chair Andrea Cummings says, "It's going to be exciting for the community to see how everything comes together as the actual design gets underway."

Features proposed for the facility include a 25 x 25 metre lane pool, hydroslides and water toys, a toddlers' pool area, outdoor/BBQ areas, a fitness centre, a group exercise studio and a café.

"The location was chosen by the community, for the community, and it's a huge milestone for the east to see a big project like this developing right on their doorstep," Ms Cummings says.

Geotechnical investigations to determine the suitability of the QEII Park site were carried out last year. Ground improvement works at QEII Park are scheduled to run in mid-2016, with construction scheduled to begin in late 2016. The facility is expected to open in 2018.

A budget of $30.5 million was allocated to the Eastern Recreation and Sport Centre in the 2012/13 Annual Plan and subsequently brought forward into the Christchurch City Three Year Plan (TYP). The Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust has also given $6.5 million for water attractions at the facility.

For more information, please visit www.ccc.govt.nz/EasternPool

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