Port Hills plans mean changes ahead

[Anybody who has driven from Christchurch to Lyttelton will have seen the paddocks next to the motorway with the Port Hills as a background. It's a famous Christchurch view. Changes are planned for this area and local people are concerned. The Heathcote Valley Community Association tell us how they are trying to have a say on what may happen.]

Away back in 2007 the Canterbury Regional Council, or Ecan, drew up a draft policy for consultation on the development strategy for the region, Regional Policy Statement – Plan Change No 1. As can be imagined it was something of a major work!

As a local group for people living nearby, the Heathcote Valley Community Association discussed the implications of this plan and at a monthly meeting, 31 October 2007, it was agreed that we should make a submission to Ecan on the plan.

We submitted on a number of points but the single point which we were most concerned about is the future use of the floor of the Heathcote Valley to the east and west of Ferrymead Heritage Park and the golf driving range complex. Currently it is used almost exclusively for horse grazing, it is very low lying and subject to flooding in periods of very wet weather.

It is zoned Special Purpose (SP) by the City Council and they describe the zoning as being a "holding zone"; in other words it is waiting till CCC decide what should become of it. It was our submission that in order to protect it from development and to preserve the "floodplain" (because that is what it is) it should be taken out of the 'urban area' of the city, and designated as 'rural', and in doing so protect it from any sort of commercial or industrial development.

The hearings by the appointed Commissioners took place in August 2009 and the decision on this major point went against our submission, on the grounds that it was properly the responsibility of the relevant local authority to determine the zoning in this location. Consequent on that decision the HVCA at its last meeting agreed to the lodgement of an appeal against the decision. As almost all other submissions had been accepted we needed only focus on this one point.

In order to add back up to our campaign to preserve the floodplain, we have also made a submission to the CCC Annual Plan asking for funding for the preparation of "an integrated plan" for the use and protection of the Estuary and the lower reaches of the Avon and Heathcote rivers. We have been able to secure support for this proposal from the Hagley/Ferrymead Community Board Further to this effort we will also be making a submission to the CCC draft Climate Strategy.