On Thursday, 18 March, 2004 Christchurch City Council adopted a draft of its first Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) for Christchurch City.

Called Our Community Plan Christchurch O-Tautahi, this draft LTCCP will be open for submissions from members of the public and interested groups and organisations from Monday, 5 April 2004 until Thursday, 6 May 2004.

Christchurch City, along with other local bodies in New Zealand, operates on a July-June financial year. The Council’s draft LTCCP details nine community outcomes – descriptions of the society, community, environment and economy Christchurch aims to be and how the City Council work will assist in achieving these outcomes over time. The draft LTCCP also details the Council’s business plans, including proposed budgets for spending and income for the year from 1 July, 2004, along with estimates for the following nine years.

The nine community outcomes included in the draft LTCCP are that Christchurch should be:

• a learning city
• a prosperous city
• a well governed city
• a city with inclusive and diverse communities, that have
• strong sense of place and identity
• a city with healthy and active people
• a city which is liveable, and
• a city with a sustainable natural environment.

Under the programmes detailed in this draft LTCCP, Christchurch City Council would provide for the delivery of services to the community at either the current level or at an enhanced level.

If adopted, the draft LTCCP would continue the Council’s major works programme. In addition, the draft LTCCP proposes that funding be set aside for a range of new initiatives and service enhancements, including:

• Belfast Treatment Plant – effluent pipeline to connect to the city
• Biosolids reuse – increased funding
• Botanic Gardens – upgrading
• Central City – marketing
• Central City streets – enhanced cleaning, sweeping and litter collection
• Central Library and four suburban libraries – extended opening hours
• Character Housing Maintenance – new grants scheme
• Christchurch Cathedral – funding assistance
• Civic Centre – new building
• Economic Development – new initiatives
• Flat-water sports – identify potential sites for a new facility
• Food waste – a scheme for processing industry food waste
• Gowerton Place – new housing development
• Metropolitan Christchurch Transport Statement – putting it into
practice, $52.4 million (net) over 10 years
• NZ PGA Gold Tournament at Clearwater – continue Council
sponsorship
• Ocean Outfall Pipeline – increased funding
• QEII Sports House – renovation
• Urban Renewal Planning – extra resources
• Waste Minimisation – more initiatives
• Worcester St – redevelopment (from Cathedral Square to Oxford Tce)

The draft LTCCP includes drafts of the Metropolitan Christchurch Transport Statement and Part 2 – Action Plan – of the Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Plan. The draft LTCCP’s summarised table of contents is as follows:

Volume 1 – Overview

Volume 2 – Community Outcomes and Council Plans

Botanic Gardens

Recycling organic waste

Metropolitan Christchurch Transport Statement

Volume 3 – Financial information and Policies

A summary of the over-all financial projections is set out below:

Printed copies of the draft LTCCP and submission forms are available from 5 April 2004 at City Council services centres, from the Christchurch City Libraries network and from the Council’s main Civic Offices at 163-173 Tuam Street. The draft LTCCP and submission forms will also be available electronically from 5 April 2004, on the CCC website at www.ccc.govt.nz/haveyoursay

This April edition of City Scene, the CCC’s ratepayer publication, also contains information about the draft LTCCP, a submission form and details about how people can get involved in the planning process. Thus City Scene is distributed to the city’s households on 6-7 April 2004.

Public submissions, therefore, can be made in writing and sent through the post, or in writing by email, or by completing the submission form included with printed copies of the draft LTCCP or electronically on the Council website. Postal submissions do not need a stamp and should be sent to Freepost 178, Our Community Plan Christchurch O-Tautahi submission, Christchurch City Council, PO Box 237, Christchurch. Email submissions should be sent to ccc_plan@ccc.govt.nz

In May, after all submissions have been received, a sub-committee of the Council will consider all public input and will listen to those people who ask to speak in support of their submission about the draft LTCCP.

As a result of those hearings, the committee may recommend that the full Council make changes to the draft LTCCP when it meets on Wednesday, 30 June 2004 to finalise and adopt it. This Council meeting is open to the public and will run from 9am, in the Council Chambers on the ground floor of the Civic Offices (163-173 Tuam St).