City Council has received about 1300 submissions on its draft plan

5 May 2006

The public feedback phase of Christchurch City Council’s work to produce a new 10-year community plan ends today and staff have received about 1300 submissions from individuals and groups.
It is not yet possible to give an exact figure because several hundred forms and letters have still to be processed. Staff will be working over the weekend, collating these last responses and distribute them to the city councillors. Formal hearings to consider submissions begin on 25 May.
In 2004, when the Council asked for community reaction to its first long-term community plan, about 320 submissions were received.
The draft 2006-16 plan was released to the public at the end of March.
The City Councillors will meet to consider this public input and any changes they wish to make to the draft plan as a result on 25, 26, 29, 30 and 31 May and 1 and 2 June. Submitters who indicated they wanted to be heard will present their opinions. Two days, 6 and 7 June, have been set aside specifically to hear submissions about the Council’s development contributions proposals.
These public hearings are open to the public and will take place in the Council Chambers on the ground floor of the Civic Offices on Tuam Street.
Following this consideration of public opinion, there will be further discussions by city councillors and staff, on 8 and 9 June, firming up the final Our Community Plan. It will be formally adopted and published at the end of June and comes into effect from 1 July 2006.
All local authorities must produce a long-term community plan every three years, a system that replaces the old annual plan process. The City Council’s draft long-term community plan has firm budgets and service levels for the three years from 1 July, and indicative costings and estimates for the following seven years.
Christchurch City Council distributed 16,000 copies of its draft plan summary, sent out about 1000 copies of the full version and another 1000 computer discs of information. It also produced and distributed 50 discs for visually impaired people.
Earlier in the week, Mayor Garry Moore said the public response was excellent. "We put out the long-term community plan for people to look at, mull over and give us feedback on, and this response is absolutely wonderful,” he says.

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