New Brighton cleanup planned
The Christchurch City Council is responding to allegations it has neglected New Brighton by organising a clean-up day.
During the Long Term Plan (LTP) hearings, the council received hundreds of submissions from New Brighton residents fed up with the condition of their suburb. They accused the council of neglecting the east.
The outpouring of anger and frustration at the slow pace of recovery and the lack of proposed spending in New Brighton and the eastern suburbs prompted an emotional apology from Mayor Lianne Dalziel.
Council chief executive Karleen Edwards told councillors yesterday that staff had begun responding to concerns raised by residents and were organising a cleanup day in New Brighton tomorrow.
They were enlisting the help of volunteers from across the city.
Paul Zaanen, manager of the New Brighton Business and Landowners Association, said it was a step in the right direction.
The cleanup would not address all the problems caused by the quakes and years of poor maintenance but it would bring some improvements to the look and feel of the area, he said.
‘‘We have seen over the past few weeks more and more stuff starting to get addressed out here. Things are starting to move in the right direction.’’
A council spokeswoman said people interested in helping would be provided with tools and council contractors would be around to assist them.
Interested volunteers should meet at the New Brighton Library car park at 9am.