Green spine ‘missing’ from options for red-zoned land
A popular vision of significantly restoring the ecology of the Christchurch redzone alongside visitor attractions and recreation is ‘‘inexplicably missing’’ from the options put to the public, a community group says.
Regenerate Christchurch has put forward 10 options for red-zoned land. They all include a large vegetation corridor around the river, with variations on other uses, such as visitor attractions, housing, and sports and recreation.
Three options would be chosen following public feedback and presented in more detail for public consultation.
Community group Greening the Red Zone, which has long-advocated for restoring much of the red zone to native forest and wetlands, said it did not support any of the 10 options.
In its submission, the group – which counts scientists, environmentalists, and landscape architects among its members – said none of the options included significant ecological restoration alongside other eco-friendly activities such as visitor attractions and productive land use.
‘‘One option is purely for ecological restoration and nothing else,’’ cochairwoman Ashley Campbell said.
‘‘But those of us wanting ecological restoration want it to include ecologically appropriate recreation, productive land use, and even businesses.
‘‘The people of Christchurch need a chance to consider such an option and say if that is what they want.’’
The group’s submission said Regenerate Christchurch had told ecologists in September there would be a 300-hectare ‘‘green spine’’ down the Avon River, with a consistent 150-metre vegetation buffer on each side. It would be accessible in its entirety to the public and its primary purpose would be for ecological restoration.
But in the options released to the public, the green spine was renamed an ‘‘open space corridor’’. Its buffer distance would be of varying width and could include ‘‘small pockets of ecological restoration,’’ it said.
Some of the options also include private developments within the corridor, which would restrict public access.
‘‘We are dismayed at this about-turn and note that it does not represent in any way what the people of Christchurch have asked for,’’ the group’s submission said.
Regenerate Christchurch said there had been no change to the ‘‘green spine’’ concept and it had always been open to many possible uses of the space.
‘‘We decided to use a more generic name in our public engagement and not assume how people want to use this open space,’’ chief executive Ivan Iafeta said.
It would still be about 300ha, about half the red zone area, he said.
Greening the Red Zone said none of the options appeared to allow for the proposed Waitãkiri Eco-Sanctuary, which would have to go on a specific site so it could have a predator-free zone.
It concluded the options did not include what residents of Christchurch had wanted: one that ecologically restores about two-thirds of the red zone while allowing for visitor attractions and recreation.
Iafeta said ecological restoration was central to all 10 options and one of the agency’s objectives was to ‘‘create a restored native habitat with good quality water so there is an abundant source of mahinga kai, birdlife and native species’’. The agency was collecting feedback and all options would be considered, including those not on the released options.
Submissions close on Monday at 5pm.