Christchurch will spend $683 million on stadium, following 13-3 council vote
Christchurch city leaders have agreed to pour another $150 million into the Te Kaha stadium project budget – taking the total cost of the project to nearly $700m.
The Christchurch City Council met on Thursday to decide the fate of the beleaguered project.
After nearly six hours of discussion and debate, councillors voted 13-3 to increase the budget and push on with the project. The other options on the table were to pause the project and revaluate it, or they could have scrapped it altogether.
The three councillors who voted against pushing on were Melanie Coker, Sara Templeton and Celeste Donovan.
Read more here and tell us what you think of the decision in the comments below.
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
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89.1% Yes, it's fair
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10.3% No, it's unreasonable
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
Cyclists forced to use ‘more dangerous’ crossing if cycleway closed
Closing a Christchurch cycleway to avoid an unsafe rail crossing will lead cyclists across an even “more dangerous” crossing, cycling advocates say.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has weighed in on the issue, calling the move to shut a 1.5km section of the Heathcote Expressway for up to two years, “illogical”. He has asked KiwiRail to explain.
KiwiRail is demanding Christchurch City Council close part of the expressway until $6.5 million worth of safety improvements can be made to the Scruttons Rd rail crossing.
It said the “unsafe” crossing posed the risk of death or serious injury once every thousand years.
What do you do think? Read the full story by reporters Sinead Gill and Tina Law here and tell us what you think in the comments. (A subscription is required, but you can see two free articles a month).
Peonys Saturday 2nd Nov
Hi all...Sorry have run out of peonys today. Will update on here as soon as some bunches arrive at Oakland Street tomorrow