Up-down fencing saga at city pub
Within 24 hours of fences going up outside Christchurch’s Pegasus Arms, they were taken down again after desperate pleas from pub management.
Before Christmas the Oxford Tce hotel begged crown agency Ota¯ karo not to fence off its front entrance as work ramped up on the Avon River Precinct between Montreal St and Christchurch Hospital.
But the fencing went up on Monday, and Pegasus Arms marketing manager Brackstone said it caused absolute chaos.
‘‘I just felt sick, I was beside myself.
‘‘The final version was so much worse than I had imagined
‘‘People were getting stuck in the middle of the fences in their cars, it was just mayhem and we were having to redirect people all the time.
Brackstone called crown agency O¯ ta¯ karo and contractor Downer to a meeting to discuss options and they agreed to remove the fencing on Tuesday.
She said it was a great relief to see the barriers gone because the pub was virtually empty on Monday night.
‘‘Monday nights are usually busy but it was just dead and we know it was because of the fences because people just could not get through’’
An O¯ ta¯ karo spokeswoman said the fencing had been removed, work on stage one had been accelerated, and the second stage was on hold until better access for patrons was sorted.
‘‘O¯ ta¯ karo understands that patrons need visible and safe access to the Pegasus Arms. The second stage will not begin until access is confirmed.’’
Brackstone said dust and noise would continue to be a problem, but at least they had won the fencing battle for now.
‘‘I’m gobsmacked that it has come down, I didn’t think they would listen to us because we are a small voice in the middle of all this.
‘‘I’m really appreciative …it has given us some hope for the future.’’
Brackstone said O¯ ta¯ karo had spent several thousand dollars installing a new side entrance to the hotel for use once the first stage of road works was finished, and that would help offset the impact of fencing off the pub’s front door during stage two.