New cathedral, hotels, school for half-billion dollar north of square development

Friday, 6 December 2019

A Catholic precinct as well as several new hotels are planned for central Christchurch.

A new cathedral, school, parking building and up to four new hotels are part of a half-billion dollar central Christchurch development expected to revitalise the area north of Cathedral Square.

The Catholic Church has confirmed it will establish a new precinct on a bare riverside block opposite Victoria Square where it has been buying up land this year.

In a deal put together with investor and developer Philip Carter, the biggest landowner on the block, the church will build a new Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament to replace the quake-damaged Barbadoes St basilica it will demolish within a year.

Bishop Paul Martin, left, and developer Philip Carter at the site of Christchurch's new catholic cathedral and precinct.

Alongside will go a new school for St Mary's primary, now on Manchester St. As a joint-venture with Carter, it will also build a 600-space parking building with attached offices for youth ministry and social services staff and accommodation for the bishop and priests.

**READ MORE:

Bishop Paul Martin at the site of the new catholic cathedral and precinct.

* Catholic church spends $15 million on central Christchurch properties

* Cash donated to Christchurch Catholics not ring-fenced for heritage church restoration

A map showing the planned sites for the Catholic cathedral and school plus convention centre hotels.

* Mayor side-steps Catholic cathedral demolition issue citing conflict of interest

* Govt officials: Minister has no power to intervene in Catholic cathedral demolition**

The Christchurch convention centre, under construction, with the site for a new five-star hotel at left.

Carter also announced that instead of building hotels on that riverside land, he will build on sites he is buying from the Crown on the Te Pae convention centre land opposite.

A five-star hotel will be built facing Colombo St by early 2023, with up to three other hotels by Cathedral Square.

The bare sites, left, and where the new developments will go, right.

John Bridgman, head of Crown rebuild company Ōtākaro, said the Te Pae convention centre needed a five-star hotel to attract big international events.

Loren Aberhart-Heaphy, general manager of destination and attraction for economic development and promotional agency ChristchurchNZ, said the news was 'absolutely exciting for the city'.

The Catholic Cathedral in central Christchurch as it looked in 2002.

'The investment shows great confidence in our city. It will be wonderful to have that area of the city developed and will bring a whole lot more people in.'

The Crown has been seeking a developer to build hotels at the convention centre since it downscaled the project from a public-private partnership in 2016.

The deal with Carter also allowed the development of the vacant block the church would now occupy, and their investment from both parties would be 'a springboard for regeneration' in the area, Bridgman said.

The church has already spent $15 million on land on the block, which is bordered by Armagh, Colombo and Manchester streets and the Avon River. It is now buying Carter's land, which includes the 'dirty 30' PWC site and adjoining sites, and negotiations are under way with Millennium and Copthorne Hotels Ltd, which owns the remaining piece.

Bishop Paul Martin described the cathedral site as 'beautiful' and said they would start design work next year. The cathedral will hold up to 1000 people and could be completed by 2025.

The derelict site of Pricewaterhouse Coopers on Armagh St is to be redeveloped as part of the project.

'We've really been focusing on getting the land sorted – we want to take our time with the design and get that right,' Martin said.

The Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament will be demolished within a year.

'We want to build something that will have both gravitas and beauty and also fit within the budget.'

A new cathedral was something that 'doesn't happen often' across the world, he said.

Including land costs the cathedral will cost an estimated $85m, the school $11m, and the church's share of the parking and diocese building $30m.

With $45m set aside for a cathedral from earthquake proceeds and funds to come from selling surplus property after a recently-announced revamp of parishes, the project will need a further $30m or more to be fundraised.

Sales could include the existing cathedral site, and St Mary's church in Manchester St would also eventually close, Martin said.

The church envisaged the precinct as a community hub welcoming Catholics and everyone else, he said.

The bishop's decision to demolish the existing cathedral continues to draw criticism from heritage advocates, and the closure of parish churches and upcoming land sales has upset many parishioners.

Martin said having the precinct in 'the heart of the city' would make it easy for people to visit and mean the church could 'play a part in re-energising the life of the city,'

While the new cathedral will be finished before the city's Anglican cathedral is restored, Martin said the two churches were not in competition.

Carter said north of the Square was the 'final piece of the jigsaw connecting the Avon River to the performing arts precinct and Cathedral Square'.

The church precinct would be open enough to allow a public link between New Regent St and the river, he said.