Friday 5 August 2016
Work begins on Lichfield Street parking building

Another milestone for the Central City rebuild took place this morning with a ceremony to mark the start of work on the new Lichfield Street parking building.

Councillors, members of the neighbouring retail precinct and local school representatives gathered at the site for a blessing and to witness the first sod being turned.

“Today the future is looking even brighter for Christchurch's city centre” says Paul Lonsdale, Hagley–Ferrymead Councillor.

“Work beginning on Lichfield Street parking building marks key progress for the Central City. When completed it will support the retail core of the city and the new technology will provide a number of travel choices for people living, working and shopping here.”

Children from one of the smallest and oldest schools in Christchurch, St Michael’s Church School, were on hand to help seal a time capsule that will be buried in the building’s foundations.

The children did drawings of what transport of the future might look like and placed them into a time capsule. Among the children’s pictures were drawings of fast-moving pod-shaped hovercrafts, rockets and even a unicorn.

The time capsule also contains a number of transport-related strategy documents, plans from 1964 and 1986 of the previous car parking building, designs and documents for the new building, a copy of today’s Press and other trinkets and mementos.

Construction of the parking building is due to start next week with a consortium led by Clearwater Construction and MAP Architects.

The design of the building is light, bright and modern, offering 804 parking spaces and 953 square metres of retail space. The building will have a number of technological features that ensure it is able to cater for parking needs well into the future.

Features include:
• Connections to Ballantynes and the Guthrey Centre
• Electronic signage on the availability of parks – green and red lights will show users which parks are available
• Electric charging for motor vehicles
• An automated security system
• A larger retail area activating Plymouth Lane and Lichfield Street

The new parking building is expected to be completed in mid-2017.

– ends –

© Scoop Media