Hagley Oval monitoring ‘falls short’

A Hagley Park preservation group has strongly criticised the city council’s lack of monitoring Hagley Oval’s operation.

Hands Off Hagley has been monitoring the oval during games and its construction phase to make sure all 92 resource consent conditions issued by the Environment Court are being met.

It found multiple and repeated breaches involving sediment entering waterways and cars being parked directly under trees. It also found public access being blocked by machinery.

‘‘It appears to Hands Off Hagley, the council has adopted a cavalier approach to Hagley Park,’’ Hands Off Hagley member Sue Williams told Christchurch City councillors at a communities, housing and economic development committee meeting .

‘‘We want to stress Hagley Park is a treasure and can not be thrashed to death. You do have a duty of care and it is not a matter of choice.’’

Williams said in the absence of council being seen to actively monitor the consent conditions, Hands Off Hagley had been ‘‘diligently’’ monitoring compliance and reporting breaches to the council itself.

We want to stress Hagley Park is a treasure and can not be thrashed to death. You do have a duty of care and it is not a matter of choice. Sue Williams Hands Off Hagley

The group complained to the Christchurch City Council about each breach. The matters were investigated and some were substantiated and others were not, a council report said.

Canterbury Cricket has been issued with four infringement notices since October 2014 and has paid a total of $1200 in fines to the council. The incidents include failing to appoint an independent, qualified arborist in November last year. Another was a failure to remove all temporary structures and advertising within the correct timeframe after a 20/20 match in November last year.

The remaining two breaches were during the Black Caps’ one-day international with Sri Lanka on January 11 this year, when vehicles were parked within the drip line of trees and perimeter fencing was not correctly installed.

‘‘It is evident the council is abrogating its responsibilities and duties not only to monitor but also to control Canterbury Cricket Trust’s compliance with the terms of the council’s lease and resource consent conditions,’’ Williams said

Council recreation and sports unit manager John Filsell said the oval’s first 18 months of operation had been the subject of ‘‘copious monitoring and intense scrutiny’’.

‘‘There’s been a lot of learning, a lot of trial and there’s been a lot of error.’’

However, he said the system was working. ‘‘We’ve been told off when deserved to be. We’ve been learning.’’

Council licensing and compliance manager Fiona Proudfoot said staff attended each fixture at the oval but could not be there every day.

She said the council wanted to improve the communication between all interested parties and staff had met with Hands Off Hagley. ‘‘We’re all on the same page. We want to ensure the amenity of the park, it’s accessibility and continuity so we have that asset in perpetuity,’’ Proudfoot said.