The Government will grant the transitional use of several Crown-owned properties in Sumner for a new permanent skate park and the creation of a community green space, says the Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Megan Woods.

“Sumner residents have long been calling for a permanent skate park and new greenspace and it’s great that we can now make that a reality.

“The Crown has been working closely with local authorities, community groups and individuals to bring life and community back to the residential red zone areas by activating Transitional Land Use (TLU) projects.

“Today I want to announce that the Crown will be granting a transitional use over key red zone land in Sumner as part of an interim arrangement while we finalise the transfer of that from the Crown to the Council.

“This will create an acoustic buffer for neighbours and create a new gathering spot in the heart of the village.

“This will mean great new community facilities for Sumner.

Councillor Sara Templeton said that the creation of a skate park has been a decade’s long aspiration for the area.

“A recent site selection process identified this site as the best one. In the meantime, the community have built and operated a temporary one on various sites as part of their community-led earthquake recovery,” said the councillor.

The Community Board recently approved the proposal for a new concrete skate park and Land Information New Zealand, which manages the red zone properties in the Port Hills, has been working closely with the Council’s project team to make this happen.

© Scoop Media