Project Details:
This community project regenerates the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor area after being left uninhabitable by the 2011 Christchurch Earthquakes. The ongoing project aims to create a place for residents and visitors to explore, play, connect, and learn.
How Did We Help:
Select Contracts performed public engagement and market research to determine the best land use in the “red zone” to help the city recover their way of life and economic vitality.
The Brief:
During the Christchurch earthquakes of 2011, significant liquefaction of the ground and large swaths of land were deemed unusable for development due to the inherent instability. As a result, Christchurch Community Council launched a community project to regenerate the area and asked Select Contracts to help determine the best use of the land despite the limiting factors.
The area’s potential is exciting and could provide a range of environmental, social and commercial benefits.
Our Approach:
In 2017, Select Contracts developed a strategy for the future use of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Area, including the residential red zone land between Barbadoes Street and Bexley for the client, Regenerate Christchurch.
Taking into consideration all possible attractions, Select Contracts designed an extensive plan for this space, including;
- Market analysis for the City of Christchurch with assessing leisure market demand including local, regional, national and international.
- Identify potential sports and recreation entertainment opportunities that may be suitable for locating in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Area and/or New Brighton.
- Assessment of commercial viability and forecast public financing required.
- Component Matrix.
The Result:
Regenerate Christchurch then undertook extensive community and stakeholder engagement to develop a draft Regeneration Plan for the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor. In August 2019, Minister Megan Woods for Greater Christchurch Regeneration approved this plan. However, transforming the area into a valuable asset for Christchurch won’t happen overnight. Given the scale of the Regeneration Area and the costs of implementation, it is estimated to take 30-50 years to complete this development. You can view the plan on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s website here.