Green light for two Halswell skate parks
Two $350,000 skate parks will be built in Halswell by January.
Following three years of planning, consultation and design, the Halswell Hornby Riccarton Community Board approved the projects at its meeting on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Sumner community – which has been waiting for 17 years for a skate park – continues to wait.
The new skate parks will be located at Halswell Domain and in the new Halswell subdivision Knights Stream. They will cost $344,605 and $350,000 respectively.
The Christchurch City Council had already budgeted for one skate park in Halswell when last year it decided to add another in Knights Stream. Money for the second park, would be funded using development contributions.
Development contributions are fees paid by developers to help council pay for the infrastructure needed as a result of the project.
Community consultation earlier this year showed overwhelming support for both facilities, with about 70 per cent of 147 responses in favour. About 20 per cent were against the Halswell Domain skate park and 14 per cent were against Knights Stream.
Some nearby residents were concerned about anti-social behaviour, noise and the location of the parks. Submitters asked the council to install CCTV cameras at the parks, but the council said there needed to be exceptional circumstances for the council to install cameras at parks.
A council staff report said there was no evidence to suggest antisocial behaviour arose from skate parks.
‘‘Evidence indicates that the lack of things for young people to do is more likely to lead to undesirable behaviour.’’
Community board chairman Mike Mora said the council had engaged a noise consultant to conduct an acoustic report based on the two designs and it was deemed both skate parks would comply with noise limits. He said the skate parks would be great facilities for children and families.
Meanwhile, children in Sumner have been waiting for 17 years for a skate park following delays caused by opposition to proposed locations and the earthquakes.
However, preliminary planning work was about to get underway for a facility in the Sumner bays area.
Council parks head Andrew Rutledge said the council expected to hold a workshop with the community in July or August.
Following the workshop, an independent consultant would come up with a list of possible locations.
The locations would be presented to the Linwood Central Heathcote Community Board before public consultation.