archived.ccc.govt.nz

This page is not a current Christchurch City Council document. Please read our disclaimer.
Christchurch City Scene
October 2002

Lead Stories

Time to plan ahead for city parking

Doing the right thing with wastewater

Tide turning on Estuary

Twenty years of SummerTimes

 

Back to the October Index

Avon River strategy


Bridge alight: Feature lighting on the Hereford Street Bridge over the Avon was switched on last month. A timer runs through four changes of colour while the façade and underside of the bridge are also lit. It is the first stage in a larger project looking at lighting for several central-city bridges. “As well as making the city more attractive the Council wants to make the areas around them safer and more welcoming for people out walking at night – both locals and visitors to the city,” says Councillor Anna Crighton, chair of the Council’s Culture and Heritage Committee.

A strategy for the Avon River, focusing on the part of the river that flows through the Central City, is being prepared by the City Council’s Parks and Waterways Unit.

The request for a strategy came from the former local branch chair of the NZ Institute of Landscape Architects who was concerned that enhancement projects along the Avon were occurring in a piecemeal fashion, that many building projects were not making the most of the river environment and that there was no real policy for proposals on the banks of the Avon.

The idea of providing "a pleasant environment in which to promenade along the Avon" has more recently been promoted by the Central City Revitalisation Project Team.

The Avon River must be viewed as a dynamic thread flowing through our city.

It supports a variety of plant and animal life, it provides a unique attractive feature within the city, it is the centre of a number of recreational pursuits and it also takes away storm-water from city streets.

For these reasons the Avon River catchment — the water, the banks and beyond — is under constant pressure from a number of sources.

We can enhance the areas around the Avon River, have events on its banks and enjoy its riverbank environment but unless we think about the river as a life supporting system we could lose the very essence of what makes it special by allowing it to be come degraded.

A careful balancing act between amenity, ecological and recreational needs must be planned if we are to sustain and improve the health and appearance of the Avon River corridor for future generations.

The Council’s Parks and Waterways Unit has since initiated a landscape character analysis of the Avon River corridor, a tree survey of all the trees along the central-city banks, a troutspawning survey and an ecological study of the river habitat and its in-stream species.

The Council wants to plan for the future of the river corridor with a view to building on the existing attractive landscape character that the river contributes to the central city. This means improving recreational opportunities for enjoyment of the river, implementing a tree replacement programme over time and ensuring that the ecology of the waterway is maximised.

Study Area

While recognising that the Avon River is a dynamic system flowing from Avonhead to the Estuary, the focus of this study is from the Antigua Boatsheds to Fitzgerald Avenue. The Avon River corridor stretches beyond the river banks across adjacent roads to the building edges either side.

Things we would like you to think about

  • What makes the Avon River corridor special to the Central City?
  • What aspects of the Avon River could be improved?
  • What is your vision for the Avon River corridor in 50 and 100 years time?
  • Do you have any burning issues about the Avon River corridor?

If you would like to take part in a more detailed survey, please contact the Council for a questionnaire which has been prepared to gather views on various aspects that affect the Avon River Corridor. The questionnaire is available at Our City O-Tautahi (corner of Oxford Terrace and Worcester Boulevard), from the Civic Offices on Tuam Street and from Council Service Centres, or ph Suzanne Weld on 941 6840 — email suzanne.weld@ccc.govt.nz

The results of the consultation and a draft strategy will be available early next year for further comment. Information that was on display in Our City in September will be available again in March next year.

Write your comments, drop it in an envelope and send to:

Avon River Strategy
Freepost 178
Christchurch City Council
PO Box 237
Christchurch

No Stamp is required.

This page is not a current Christchurch City Council document. Please read our disclaimer.
© Christchurch City Council, Christchurch, New Zealand | Contact the Council