Upgrading roads around Christchurch stadium no longer 'paused', despite mayor's moves to delay project
From reporter Steven Walton:
Work has resumed on a hotly-debated $33 million upgrade to roads around Christchurch's planned stadium.
Residents now have until the end of the month to share their views on the project.
More than 850 submissions have already been made – making the project the council’s second most popular consultation of the year. The future of the stadium itself was the most popular.
The $33m upgrade has not been supported by new mayor Phil Mauger, who has suggested the money would be better spent fixing roads in the east or going towards the $683m cost of the stadium.
Nearly two weeks ago, the council said work on the project was paused and Mauger said that was a consequence of his wish to not proceed with the work.
On Tuesday, the newly-elected council was briefed behind closed doors about the project.
Council chief executive Dawn Baxendale said the briefing to the council explained the project will improve pedestrian safety and traffic management while also replacing “outdated” three waters networks around the stadium.
Following the briefing, work on the project has resumed.
That means the public consultation can be finished and staff can consider the responses.
A council spokesperson said staff would then make changes to the proposal where it can. After that, it will make a recommendation to a hearings panel that is expected to convene in February next year.
The panel will then make a final recommendation to the council in March, when the council will effectively decide whether the project continues.
The Christchurch City Council launched consultation on the scheme on the first day of Mauger’s mayoralty and released its proposed plans covering Lichfield, Madras, Tuam and Barbadoes streets.
Footpaths would be widened to up to 5.8m on some streets, speeds lowered to 10kph or 30kph, car parks taken away and room allowed for cycle lanes, gardens and outdoor dining.
But businesses along one of the routes were not happy with the plans, as they did not want to lose parking.
The two options for Lichfield St involve the loss of some, or all 72, car parks.
The council’s consultation document said the upgrades were designed to cater for large influxes of traffic and pedestrians attending events at the stadium, Te Kaha.
If approved, the work would start some time next year and be completed by 2026, when Te Kaha is due to open.
Mauger said in October he wanted to delay the work on the surrounding streets until after the stadium was built.
“I would rather, as a ratepayer, drive down the streets as they are and pay that $24m (sic) off the stadium.”
While Mauger said the cost was $24m, the council’s consultation document said it was $33m.
Mauger said the work should be done, but only “when people come and we get more money”.
“You’ve got to cut your cloth to suit the budget.”
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Kalle
"Sports and travelling run in the family, and that's kind of what's led me to come to New Zealand."
"I grew up in a small town in Finland. My dad was involved with sports all his life, he was a shot putter, discus thrower, powerlifter, we traveled quite a bit when I was a kid. He never mentioned much of the rugby days. He just said he broke both of his shin bones playing rugby, so he said, ‘never play the sport, It's crazy.’
I started playing when I was 18. I played my first cap for the Finnish national team in 2014, we won the Finnish championship with my club. Rugby is not a big thing in Finland.
I moved here to play rugby in 2017. The club that wanted me to come over was Methven Rugby Club. They got me here and they were like, ‘what do you do for work? I’d just finished chef school in Finland. ‘We'll get you a job at Mount Hutt as a chef, you can do that while you play rugby with us.’ I said, ‘Perfect. Yeah, I'm in’.
I've always loved food. My mum was an amazing cook, and still is. When I was studying tourism I worked in some hotels in Finland, and I saw how the chef's worked. I just loved the kitchen vibe and I was like, Yeah, that’d be something I'd love to do.
I've had more of a culinary journey In New Zealand than in Finland. I started at Mount Hutt, after that I worked at The Dubliner in Methven. I worked as a senior pizza chef at Sal’s for maybe six months then worked as chef de partie at Cellar Door. At Eliza's Manor, I worked myself up to a junior sous chef. Then the opportunity came to work my first head chef job at Moon Under Water.
We're privileged to have a busy atmosphere, we can try new things and get a bit creative. There are no TV’s, just come here with your family or with your mates, play board games, to socialise.
I really want to drive the local food and ingredients through the menu. We don't mind spending more for quality ingredients as long as it's supporting New Zealand businesses. We just love to use local. And it's pub food, but I feel like it's elevated.
I play club rugby here for the Christchurch Football Club, the oldest club in New Zealand and I still play regularly for the Finnish national team, whenever they can fly me over to play."
- Kalle
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