Some of Christchurch’s leading city retailers, investors and property developers have joined forces to oppose most of the changes proposed in the City Council’s Te Kaha surrounding streets proposal.

Antony Gough, developer of The Terrace, described the Christchurch City Council plans to upgrade streets around the new Te Kaha stadium as “sheer lunacy” saying it will strangle the city centre. 

The Christchurch City Council has re-opened “public consultation” on options for upgrading streets around the stadium, saying an estimated $33 million needs to be spent on preparing streets leading to the stadium for more activity in the area.  

The plans include options for making sections of some central city streets one way, removing 116 car parks, and lowering speed limits to 10 or 30kph in places.  

Planning and Delivery Transport Manager Jacob Bradbury said in October “the proposed upgrades will mean the streets surrounding Te Kaha will be able to cope with huge influxes of pedestrians on event days.”

Central City Business Association chairwoman Annabel Turley said “Council is also proposing to widen Lichfield Street footpaths nearly six metres for outdoor dining, this is in an area where the cold easterly wind blows often. This is not needed.”

She said “Christchurch already has well-planned areas for pedestrians and outdoor dining. There are existing options for outdoor dining along The Terrace, outside Riverside Market and in the laneways in the city.”

Turley said the proposals do not support a business-friendly and accessible city.

Gough said “we are not alone; the New Zealand Property Council and the Central City Business Association share our views. We note that Mayor Phil Mauger and some city councillors have voiced concerns about this proposal as well. The proposal seems to have a very poor understanding of the needs of business – enough is enough.”

Shaun Stockman, whose company is behind the Strange’s Lane development and refurbishment of many heritage buildings in the CBD said “Collectively we all responded when we were called on to support the rebuild immediately after the earthquakes and bring our businesses back into the central city and we hung in there, even when our building was the only one on a block, or when people didn’t feel safe coming into the city during Covid.”

Philip Carter, owner of The Crossing, said “we are the people who have brought The Crossing to the city centre and have invested millions and millions of dollars contributing to the creation of a vibrant central city that locals and visitors want to enjoy. We are financially and emotionally invested in the central city.

But now the Council wants to choke the CBD and make it even harder for shoppers, workers, tourists and central city residents to access and move around the central city.”

 Shaun Stockman said “we must stand up and demand that the interests of businesses operating day in and day out in the city are fairly balanced against the desire to move pedestrians in and out of the stadium. We don’t necessarily reject all the Council plans in their entirety. There are elements of what’s been proposed that are viable, and other parts that are simply unworkable.”

Craig Freeman, owner of Espresso Carwash at the Crossing said Council must sit down and work with the business community on a win:win solution.  “Anything less than that would mean the Council was thumbing its nose at all that has been achieved in the city centre over the last 10 years.”