The 2015 NEW BRIGHTON MASTER PLAN came out of the Christchurch City Council’s plan to re-build some of the suburban areas most effected by the quakes, and “present a future vision and set goals for the redevelopment and recovery of New Brighton Commercial Centre.”
In 2016 it was given to Development Christchurch Ltd to see it through, along with legacy projects like the Pools and Playground.
Somewhere over the next five years the Mall regeneration got lost in the sand dunes of time, partly due to DCL having an empty piggy bank.
While DCL are now out of the picture, it did highlight one fact:
With projects like this, directly impacting on residents and retailers, setting up a external quasi-development group to manage a MASTER-PLAN is doomed, unless there is extensive and daily consultation with those most effected.
The Christchurch City Council’s Draft LONG-TERM-PLAN is slightly different in that real money is being allocated and there are time frames around the projects, and now a matter of getting most aspects of the NEW BRIGHTON MASTER PLAN to the finishing line in less than ten years.
The MASTER-PLAN is largely a Mall regeneration concept based on feedback (at that time from the community, see CAG below), to advice from planners and research into successful modern urban design.
1. Consolidation of the commercial area for a more vibrant centre.
2. Precinct development with mixed uses to improve user experiences.
3. Reinforced connections through the centre between the river and the sea.
4. Enhanced circulation and flow of pedestrian and cyclists to and from New Brighton as part of the Otakara-Avon River Corridor to the City Centre.
These themes are key drivers underlying the majority of MASTER-PLAN.
Therefore when you look at the images in this post, do not take them literally as what is going to happen. For instance the buildings on the pictures are just an interim artistic licence, the real detail does not exist at this time. Much of this hopefully will be filled in by land-owners finally opening their purse strings.
The LONG-TERM-PLAN is focussed on the general aim of the MASTER-PLAN including Oram Av, and creating the conditions not only conducive to people wanting to live close to the Mall, but developers wanting to own a slice of a successful commercial precinct.
To break this down, some of the features of the MASTER-PLAN are based on the core elements identified as being important to making this work:
For instance the Oram Ave extension is just one of these.
It provides a western boundary to a condensed central mall, drawing pedestrians to and from the foreshore. It also provides the eastern boundary to a second supporting square of mixed retail bordered by Shaw Av.
People drawn into the middle section via Oram and north-south access strips like Carnaby Lane.
On fringes of the commercial zone will be medium density housing with a ready cluster of residents to try out the growing choice of New Brighton infused hospitality outlets.
Before we go into a brief summary of the general themes to come out of MASTER-PLAN, the NEW BRIGHTON RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION (NBRA) suggests a re-formation of a Community Advisory Group (CAG), last established in 2014.
The CAG was comprised eight representatives from six local community organisations and came up with many improvements to the draft plan.
CAG would seek opinions and ideas from the locals as part of the roll-out of the LONG-TERM-PLAN projects over the next decade and keep a roving eye on progress.
The second group needing to step up to the plate is the New Brighton Business Assn (NBBA) to help facilitate, co-ordinate and support new and existing commercial activity.
The Christchurch City Council can ill afford another failure to deliver, this time through the LONG-TERM-PLAN. Those of us are very aware the official plans for the re-birth of New Brighton began in 2002, twenty years ago !
The most important advice the New Brighton Residents Association has in all this is:
HAVE YOUR SAY…VOICE YOUR OPINION
This doesn’t mean making one submission on the LTP, but continuing to lobby the Council by whatever means suits your style, from social media posts to emailing City Councillors, to directly contacting the backroom boys creating the detail.