Council decides on leading regeneration plans

Christchurch City Council today made decisions on three important direction-setting strategies and plans, which together provide a roadmap for the region's regeneration.

The Council adopted the Christchurch Visitor Strategy - Setting the Direction 2016, and ratified the Resilient Greater Christchurch Plan and updates to the Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy.

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel says the three strategies and plans complement each other.

"Together they capture the views of thousands of residents on the future development of the Greater Christchurch region. The discussion all started with Share an Idea in 2011 when residents told us what sort of city they wanted, and it has evolved since then as we've talked with our community on other recovery plans and programmes and also through the development of our Resilient Greater Christchurch Plan.

"The Resilient Greater Christchurch Plan sets up Christchurch to be forward thinking, while at the same time sets up the community to be more resilient. As the partners refresh the Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy there is huge opportunity to do this through our resilience lens."

Mayor Dalziel says the Christchurch Visitor Strategy sets the framework for Christchurch regaining its pre-earthquake share of the national visitor economy by 2025.

“Over the past five years many organisations have worked hard to minimise the impact of the earthquakes on the visitor sector and things are steadily improving. However, Christchurch will not regain that pre-earthquake market share as of right. We need to be proactive.

“We have an opportunity to take a more joined-up approach to tourism, events, economic development and city promotion so that we can maximise the benefits for our city. We need to find ways to enhance the visitor experience, and prioritise the development of major visitor attractions. We also need to smooth out the peaks and troughs by growing demand in the shoulder and off-peak seasons.”

The Strategy recommends a staged approach to growing the visitor economy, with the initial focus on ensuring Christchurch is properly organised and resourced to make the most of this opportunity.

The Christchurch Visitor Strategy had its beginnings in a discussion paper, Destination 2025, which was commissioned by Christchurch International Airport Limited in 2014. The discussion paper identified the need for an overarching visitor strategy. The Council endorsed the findings of Destination 2025 and asked Canterbury Development Corporation to develop an overarching visitor strategy for Christchurch. This strategy adopted by Council today is the end result of that process.

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