Campaign for a Memorial Reserve Covenant
Campaign for a Memorial Reserve Covenant
In June
the government announced that more than 5000 homes would
have to be abandoned within a ribbon of residential “red
zone” that tracks east from the CBD along the banks of the
Avon and some of its tributaries. A further 10,000+ homes
lie within orange or white zones: the fate of these homes
remains uncertain. The reason for the abandonment of
red-zoned land is that it is too damaged to be economically
remediated for residential redevelopment at the present
time. Although the decision was anticipated to some extent,
it was nonetheless devastating for many within and adjoining
the zone.
Since the announcement Minister Brownlee has indicated that the land is to be cleared, grassed over and then left “fallow” for some years before a decision is made on its future: with the possibility of some of the land being able to remediated and redeveloped for residential use. However red zone residents are not being offered any right of first refusal if the land should be available again in the future. This effectively turns the red-zone lands into a grey zone of uncertainty, doubt and ambiguity for a period of years and makes it very difficult for those abandoning the land to do so with any sense of peace.
CERTAINTY REGARDING THE FUTURE OF THE RED ZONE LANDS NEEDS TO BE GIVEN NOW in order to provide:
• Clarity and confidence for envisioning and
planning the rebuild of Christchurch’s eastern
suburbs,
• Healing and wellbeing for the
collective psyche and spirit.
We
believe that this must be given priority over any pretense
to re-insurers to maintain land valuations or any provision
for land-banking to offset costs. The social costs to the
communities involved – and thence to the city - far exceed
these financial considerations.
We
propose that provision be made for the following:
• The lands be covenanted to remain in public
ownership in perpetuity;
• The lands be
developed as a permanent Memorial Reserve;
• The
Memorial Reserve have an appropriate monument to those that
lost their lives in 22 February
earthquake;
• The Memorial Reserve be based
around a primary natural corridor of native plantings, with
parkland ‘oases’ of exotics (which may include stretches
of riverside);
• The Memorial Reserve provide
continuous cycle and walk ways from the CBD to the
coast;
• The Memorial Reserve provide land swap
opportunities with nearby parklands and golf courses that
can support residential housing;
• The Memorial
Reserve only be used to support buildings of public
amenities such as sports, recreational or entertainment
facilitates, community meeting facilities, public libraries
etc;
• The Memorial Reserve lands never be made
available for private residential housing or
commercial/industrial use, and any discrete parcels of
non-contiguous infill land that can be remediated for
residential development, be used solely for limited social
housing;
• That households vacating the red zone
lands (whether owners or tenants), each be allowed a small
(A5) bronze plaque for a nominal fee, sited on or near the
location of their home with a short inscription of their
choosing (maximum 250 characters) as a permanent household
memorial.
This concept can be expanded to include
other red-zone areas in Waimakariri, Hill Suburbs,
etc
Please find attached a pdf file with graphics.
Useful links:
https://sites.google.com/site/mrccampaign/home
http://www.chcheqjournal.com/2011/avon-river-park-idea-put/
Link to Campaign Documentation and Map (PDF).