Council releases new draft community plan
8 April 2004
Christchurch City Council today released a draft of its new community plan, Our Community Plan Christchurch O-Tautahi, for public comment.
The public has until Thursday 6 May to comment on the draft of Our Community Plan Christchurch O-Tautahi.
Under the Local Government Act 2002, all Councils are required to produce a ten-year Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP). It must include a set of outcomes, which describe what sort of community Christchurch wants to be, and list the activities that the Council will undertake to contribute towards achieving those outcomes. This year’s Our Community Plan Christchurch O-Tautahi is Christchurch City Council’s first response to the Act’s requirement.
Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore welcomes the new approach to this year’s planning round as a result of the change to the Local Government Act.
“We want to keep hearing from people interested in things happening in their neighbourhood and about how we plan to spend the rates money, Mr Moore says. “But we also want to hear what the community thinks about a wider view of Christchurch - our society, our environment and our economy”.
“With Our Community Plan Christchurch O-Tautahi, we’re really just starting this conversation,” Mr Moore says. “We’d like to hear if people think we’re on the right track with these longer-term goals and about how we might improve this whole business of discussing planning with the people, as well as hearing about the nuts-and-bolts stuff.”
Our Community Plan Christchurch O-Tautahi includes the Council’s annual financial plan and programme for this financial year, and projected financial data for the following nine years.
If adopted by Christchurch City Council in June, the final Our Community Plan Christchurch O-Tautahi would result in a rate increase of 3.26 per cent.
Among the new projects proposed in the draft community plan is one to start collecting and processing some of the city’s kitchen food scraps.
Annual Plan Subcommittee Chairman Alister James, says that keeping reusable material out of the landfill is an important part of the Council’s drive for sustainability.
“This project is doubly worthwhile because rotting food scraps in landfills create harmful gas and liquids” says Cr James.
The scheme would begin with the collection of scraps from commercial kitchens and this year’s plan includes money to buy a processing plant. The indicative budget for 2005/06 includes several million dollars to pay for collection containers as the scheme expands throughout the city.
Putting into practice the city’s transport strategy is another important initiative, Cr James says. “It will ensure Christchurch avoids the transport woes and traffic jams suffered in Auckland,” he says. “I’m pleased the strategy deals with passenger transport infrastructure and cycleways as well as road networks and improved traffic safety.”
· Printed copies of Our Community Plan Christchurch O-Tautahi are now available from City Council services centres, Christchurch City Libraries network, Our City O-Tautahi and from the main Civic Offices at 163-173 Tuam Street. The draft community plan and submission forms are also available electronically, through the CCC website at www.ccc.govt.nz/ourcommunityplan
· A public meeting will be held on Thursday 15 April, 5.30-7.30pm, at Our City O-Tautahi, to discuss the draft community plan.
· The City Council will meet to adopt the final community plan on 30 June.
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