Thursday 18 August 2011

Christchurch City Council will next week launch community workshops as part of its Suburban Centres Programme for the commercial areas centred around ‘Linwood Village’ (Stanmore Road/Worcester Street area) and the Selwyn Street shopping area.

Master plans will be developed for both centres with input from community leaders, property and business owners and local residents.

Community Board members will meet with the Suburban Centres project team and planners on the Suburban Centres Programme for the Selwyn Street shopping tomorrow and on Monday 22 August for Linwood Village. This is ahead of focus group sessions for key stakeholders and workshops for the local community.

Programme Manager, Healthy Environment Jenny Ridgen says the community workshops and focus group sessions will provide invaluable local information for the initial planning phase of the master planning process.

“These sessions will provide an opportunity for people to come together to identify issues, concerns and aspirations for their centre.”

Mayor Bob Parker says involvement from the community will be crucial for development of the master plans.

“We want to meet with people in these communities to hear their ideas, what they value or miss about their centre and what they want to improve. Their input will give us the knowledge we need in order to deliver a strong and liveable plan for the future of these centres,” he says.

Community workshops:
Linwood Village community workshop
Wednesday 24 August
6.30pm to 8.00pm
Aspire Canterbury Centre, 314 Worcester Street

Selwyn Street shopping area community workshop
Thursday 25 August
6.30pm to 8.00pm
42 Somerset Crescent (corner of Selwyn and Somerset Crescent)

Council-led master planning is well underway for Lyttelton and Sydenham and it is expected their draft Master Plans will be delivered in September 2011. These two suburban centres were the first to start the rebuild process, other centres will follow.

The Suburban Centres Programme features two streams of work; one stream will see the development of ‘master plans’ for some of the worst affected suburban centres and the other stream will see the appointment of ‘case managers’ to other affected suburban hubs that may require assistance with planning their rebuild.

The support Council is able to give to each centre will depend on the nature and scale of the issues and the available resources. It is not ‘one-size-fits-all’.

The master planning process will be a collaborative effort involving the Council, Community Boards, local residents and stakeholders for each centre. Stakeholders include business operators, property and land owners, central and regional government agencies, residents, community groups and any other organisations that have a stake in the local community for each centre.

Or visit: http://www.ccc.govt.nz/thecouncil/policiesreportsstrategies/SuburbanCentresProgramme.aspx

ENDS

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