Category: Analysis

Strong cycleway support in Annual Plan submissions

Over the past week the Christchurch City Council has been hearing submissions on the city’s draft Annual Plan, and feedback on cycleways, including the Wheels to Wings – Papanui ki Waiwhetū major cycle route, is overwhelmingly positive.

A photo taken on Harewood Rd from a bike mounted camera showing a close pass from a driver towing a trailer. This image accompanied my Facebook post encouraging people to submit on the Annual Plan in general and on the Wheels to Wings in particular.

Last year I wrote to clarify that during the two rounds of public consultation on the Wheels to Wings, only a minority of submissions opposed the project. “How terrible it would be for the community to be denied the cycleway on the basis of this minority opposition?” I said at the time.

Continue reading “Strong cycleway support in Annual Plan submissions”

Simon writes in The Spinoff: “The Christchurch regeneration project that is slowly sinking”

I’ve fielded a few questions from Papanui residents as to when we might expect to see housing development in the Cranford Basin. The background to this is the 2017 approval of the Cranford Regeneration Plan, which saw a part of the area rezoned from rural to residential.

I did some research on this, including reading many of the documents available on the Council’s website, talking to landowners and asking questions of both the Christchurch City Council and also the Greater Christchurch Partnership.

The Spinoff was kind enough to publish the resulting article – click through to read:

The Christchurch regeneration project that is slowly sinking
(This photo was taken by me, looking west from Cranford St, but there’s been some artistic license applied by The Spinoff)

Question for readers

What are your thoughts on the Cranford Regeneration Plan and the prospect of some of the privately-owned land in the Cranford Basin being developed for housing?

Papanui and Burnside High School zones for 2020 and beyond

Update: in March 2019 I wrote an article covering the Christchurch Secondary Schools enrolment scheme consultation, which was underway at that time. The boundary between the Papanui and Burnside High School zones was proposed to move closer towards Papanui. After a coordinated consultation process (details of which remain available on the Shaping Education website), it was subsequently left to individual schools to communicate outcomes to their communities. So, what has happened?

Papanui High School: 2020 zone

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Papanui High School’s zone for 2020, from the school’s website

Details of Papanui High School’s zone for 2020 can be found on the school’s website. Last year’s proposed changes have largely been implemented Continue reading “Papanui and Burnside High School zones for 2020 and beyond”

The Main North Road bus priority project in Papanui: an overview

Analysis: In late 2017 the Christchurch City Council consulted the public on a proposal for roading changes in the Papanui area, with the objective of improving public transport reliability and travel times along Main North Road. This article gives an overview of the changes being made, the anticipated benefits, and the status of the project at the time of writing.

MNR bus lanes web'

I curate the Think Papanui community engagement initiative, and have reported on the progress of the bus priority project for several years now, observing a high level of public interest through that time. Continue reading “The Main North Road bus priority project in Papanui: an overview”

A new PAK’nSAVE for Main North Road?

Analysis: This week the Christchurch City Council publicly notified a resource consent application from Foodstuffs for a new supermarket and self-service fuel station at 171 Main North Road. What’s being proposed, and what does the community think about it?

PNS3.jpg

Foodstuffs’ resource consent application is open for public feedback until 16 August 2019. I was alerted to this through a Facebook post from Papanui Councillor Mike Davidson, and I put up a post on Think Papanui with some images and a brief description.

A number of questions and issues were raised in comments on Think Papanui’s post, including: Continue reading “A new PAK’nSAVE for Main North Road?”

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