Council rejects tidal barrier study for Avon–Heathcote Estuary

Large scale investigations into a tidal barrier on the Avon–Heathcote Estuary will not go ahead following a Christchurch City Council decision today.

Feedback from strategic partners and key organisations was considered at today's meeting, and councillors unanimously rejected proceeding to the full feasibility assessment stage for a tidal barrier.

A pre-feasibility study was commissioned to help the Council and Crown funding partners understand if a tidal barrier was technically feasible and to provide a ballpark idea of the cost. The study found a tidal barrier was technically possible, but would cost up to $350 million to build, have major impact on the estuary environment and not remove the need for other additional defences against flooding.

Land Drainage Recovery Programme Working Party Chair Councillor Pauline Cotter says, "Large scale, big budget items that have the potential to impact on communities and our environment need to be very carefully considered and thought through.

"The pre-feasibility tidal barrier study enabled us to explore the pros-and-cons and we have weighed this up with the feedback we received. I am pleased we have a clear mandate to take the tidal barrier feasibility study off the table.

"We can now focus on looking at the full range of solutions as part of a city-wide flood management strategy," she says.

She said the Council would also continue to work closely with CERA on ways to manage flooding as part of technical work on the future use of the Residential Red Zone.

Background
The Council has been in the early stages of exploring a potential tidal barrier as one possible option for reducing the flood risk in low-lying parts of south-east Christchurch. Some parts of Christchurch dropped during the Canterbury Earthquakes and some of these areas are now more vulnerable to flooding. As well as addressing this increase in flood risk a tidal barrier would also help protect the city from sea level rise for now but not forever.

ENDS

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