10 December 2009
Council and CDHB to work on land swap

The Council will work with the Canterbury District Health Board on a proposal to swap parcels of land sited between Hagley Park and the Christchurch Hospital.

The proposal has come about as the CDHB plans for its development to meet future health needs for the region and looks to make the best use of its sites to provide for those needs. Older existing buildings on the current site need to be replaced with new purpose-built contemporary health facilities some of which would be built on the land acquired from the Council.

The proposal involves the exchange of an area of Hagley Park which includes a car park currently used by the hospital with a similar sized piece of land between the hospital’s Riverside Block and the Avon River. This land is owned by the CDHB and is held in trust for the purposes of “pleasure gardens and recreation-grounds for the use of inmates of Christchurch Hospital’’.

Mayor Bob Parker says “The detailed sizes and boundaries of the areas to be subject to the exchange have yet to be determined. However the Council will require that there is no reduction in the size of Hagley Park as a result of the negotiations and pedestrian access across the River Avon to Rolleston Avenue must be retained.

“In effect, we exchange a car park for a piece of prime riverside park land.’’

“The proposed redevelopment of Christchurch Hospital supports the Central City Revitalisation Strategy by securing the long-term future of the site with its associated level of activity and work force. Council supports the future well-being of its residents and the provision of first-class hospital and health facilities contributes to this.’’

Both parties will also be required to carry out consultation before they decide whether to authorise the land exchange This will be carried out jointly and take place in March/April 2010. Public hearings wil then be held either by a Council hearings panel compromising all members of Council or a joint hearings panel with the CDHB. Two local Acts of Parliament would then need to be amended to allow the exchange to take place.

While ownership of the Nurses’ Memorial Chapel is not part of the proposal from the CDHB, it makes sense to include it in the discussions given the Council’s previous intent to preserve it, says Mr parker.

ENDS

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