14 Apr 2023

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Plans to redevelop Avon Park have been given the green light by the Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood Community Board.

At last night’s meeting, the board approved plans to revamp the existing facilities on the upper terrace of Avon Park and transform the lower terrace into a naturalised wetland.

Head of Parks, Andrew Rutledge, says the park and surrounding pockets of regeneration area will incorporate the City to Sea Pathway, improve local ecology and upgrade the current recreational facilities.

“Once completed, the lower terrace of Avon Park will be transformed to an ecologically restored wetland, and improved play and recreational facilities installed on the higher ground. The City to Sea Pathway will run through the heart of the park,” Mr Rutledge says.

“We’re grateful to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust who are funding the upper terrace portion of this proposed work. The Christchurch Regeneration Acceleration Facility will fund the work on the lower terrace.”

Mr Rutledge says 112 groups and individuals made submissions on the Avon Park redevelopment during a four-week consultation period in February and March.

“We’re pleased with the response we received for a consultation of a local park, with almost 70 per cent of submitters supporting a comprehensive redevelopment of the park and the surrounding pockets of regeneration area.”

Construction of the area is expected to start next summer, and is estimated to be completed by mid 2025.

Avonside Drive road-stopping recommendation

At last night’s meeting, the Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood community board also recommended that the full Council instructs staff to begin the formal road-stopping process for Avonside Drive between Kerrs Road and Wainoni Road, and change the section of road between 144 Kerrs Road and Kerrs Reach into a parks’ access road.

As part of the recommendation, traffic-calming measures will be made to Torlesse Street, Braemar Place and Kerrs Road north of Wainoni Road, and traffic counters installed on Torlesse Street to measure if the changes result in significant traffic increases on the local road.

Mr Rutledge says the stopping and eventual closure of Avonside Drive will improve the safety of recreational users in the OARC, as well as making provisions to ecologically restore that area in the future.

“Staff traffic reports that were completed in 2021 showed that while Avonside Drive daily traffic flow is at the lower end of the range, the average vehicle speeds are high. This is mostly due to the fact the road looks like a rural road, but the high speeds are concerning and pose a safety risk to other users of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor.

“Our modelling shows closing this section of Avonside Drive would slightly increase the daily number of vehicles using the surrounding minor arterial roads, but they will remain within the average traffic volume range. However, we will install traffic counters to monitor traffic movements to ensure this is the case.”

Almost 65 per cent of the 111 groups and individuals who made submissions supported the road stopping, saying it would improve safety, and would result in the protection and restoration of nature and recreational spaces.

The Council will consider the road-stopping proposal in the coming months.

For general information on the OARC, visit ccc.govt.nz/oarc