Thursday 13 June 2013

Hearings not necessary for draft Coastal Pathway Concept Plan

Christchurch City Council today approved a Hagley/Ferrymead Community Board’s recommendation that hearings will not be necessary for the proposed Christchurch Coastal Pathway due to the high level of support for the Concept Plan.

Unit Manager Natural Environment and Heritage Helen Beaumont says the decision will enable amendments to be made to the Concept Plan following consideration of public submissions.

“The majority of people are highly supportive of the proposed route of the pathway, design features and the use of materials that reflect the coastal environment. People also supported the use of signage and interpretation as a way to experience and connect with the history of the site and navigate from place to place. The importance of appropriate lighting and good water and beach access also featured in submissions.

“People have identified sections of the pathway that they consider needed further consideration and refinement. Feedback on Scott Park focused on a possible clash between water sport users wanting to access the water and pathway users, while people commenting on the section of pathway at Redcliffs Park mentioned the potential loss of playing fields,” she says.

Other comments include:
• Addressing the potential road closures in Beachville Road west.
• A design for the Beachville Road east linear park that retains its open lawn character.
• Protecting the beach, views and access at the boardwalk section of the pathway in Moncks Bay.
• A safe cycle and pedestrian link between Redcliffs and Sumner.
• Additional enhancements for the Esplanade (between Sumner and Scarborough) including planting, landscaping, seating and improved beach access.

The Council requested staff put together the estimated costs involved in including stormwater swales, landscaping, access ramps/steps to the estuary, and in surfacing the causeway section of the pathway. This is to enable consideration of the potential costs and benefits of incorporating this as part of the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Team’s (SCIRT) causeway project. SCIRT has already undertaken improvement work in the area, including constructing a new seawall on the estuary side of the causeway that makes allowance for a future coastal pathway.

These costings will be reported back to the Council at the Christchurch City Three Year Plan meeting from 24–26 June 2013. The Council requested the allocation of overall funding for the pathway, to be considered at the Three Year Plan meetings, be broken into stages to make it more achievable.

The draft Concept Plan was available for public comment from 27 March to 17 April 2013. It received 409 submissions with 89 of these submitters indicating they wanted to be heard if the opportunity was provided.

To view the draft Coastal Pathway Concept Plan click here.

To view the Summary Coastal Pathway Concept Plan click here.

For more information visit www.ccc.govt.nz/coastalpathway

Background
Work on the Concept Plan and Feasibility Study for the proposed six-kilometre pathway started in August 2012 as a community partnership between the Council and the Christchurch Coastal Pathway Group. Award-winning landscape architects Wraight Associates were commissioned to lead a multi-disciplinary team to deliver the draft Concept Plan.

The six-kilometre, multi-purpose pathway is proposed to connect Ferrymead to Mt Pleasant and on through Redcliffs, finishing at the end of Scarborough Beach in Sumner. It will cater for children, pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders and people using scooters and wheelchairs – opening up an area of the coastline for a new audience to enjoy and appreciate.

The estimated cost of the pathway is around $17 million. This figure includes construction of new sections of boardwalk, seating, lighting and landscaping, but does not cover work currently underway such as Ferrymead Bridge and Main Road three laning, or SCIRT’s repair and rebuild programme in the area.

At this initial stage, the Council has made no commitment to the funding or construction of the pathway concept. While the plan outlines specific design elements and treatments for areas along the proposed route it is very much stage one of the project.

The Council provided initial funding and project management to enable the project to go ahead. The project budget for this stage was $50,000 which was allocated for this purpose in the Annual Plan.
The Coastal Pathway, from Ferrymead to Sumner, was identified by the Hagley/Ferrymead Community Board as its priority capital project because of its significance to the community and to recovery in the area. The Board granted discretionary response funding for organisational support to the Christchurch Coastal Pathway Group.

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