‘Significant’ savings for ratepayers if Christchurch’s river red zone gets fast-track approval

Thursday, 10 October 2024

Plans to regenerate the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (ŌARC) has been included on the Government’s fast-track list.

Christchurch ratepayers could save “significant” amounts of money if development of the city’s river red zone is fast-tracked.

The plan to regenerate the 602-hectare Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (ŌARC) has been included on the Government’s controversial list of proposed “fast-track” projects, released on Sunday.

There are 149 projects across New Zealand on the list, including 22 in Canterbury. They form part of the Government’s controversial Fast Track Approvals Bill, designed to accelerate resource consents and get big projects built quicker.

A Christchurch City Council spokesperson said if the council gained fast-track consent for its ŌARC regeneration plan, it would result in ”significant savings to ratepayers“.

“We will be able to deliver the regeneration plan with increased confidence, as consenting is currently one of the most significant sources of cost and delay in the delivery programme.”

The council said consenting had been the source of significant costs and time delays on the projects completed in the corridor to date.

Parts of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (OARC) are already being developed including Avon Park.

“Some consents have taken over two years to obtain.”

The council has budgeted $324m to develop the ŌARC over the next 10 years. This includes building stormwater basins, stop banks, ecological restoration and a pathway along the length of the river.

The fast-track application covers the construction of stopbanks and pumping stations for flood management, stormwater detention and treatment facilities, large scale plantings, wetland restoration, pathway connections and community facilities for recreation, tourism, and sport. It also covers river work, including bank naturalisation, opening of tidal wetlands and construction of new outfall structures.

Avon-Ōtākaro Network spokesperson Hayley Guglietta is happy to see the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor regeneration plan on the Government’s fast-track list.

Gaining fast-track approval would mean the council would not have to make a separate consent application for each project. However, the fast-track would only involve council-funded infrastructure and facilities in the regeneration plan, not any privately or commercially funded activities.

The council said it did not yet have clarity on the costs and timeframes for the fast- track process, but it was anticipated they would be much reduced.

“We are delighted to be included in the list. It underscores the significance of the ŌARC regeneration infrastructure to the region.”

Being on the list does not guarantee the project gets approved - applications will still be considered by an expert panel.

Avon-Ōtākaro Network spokesperson Hayley Guglietta said if ever there was a project that should be on the fast-track list, it was the ŌARC.

The regeneration plan was about improving the wider health of the river and protecting the urban population from flooding, so it was an ideal candidate for the fast-track list, she said.

She had some grave concerns about the environmental impact of other projects on the Government’s fast-track list, but was happy to see ŌARC in there.

Guglietta said ŌARC had already been through 12 years of consultation, including the development of the regeneration plan, so anything that could speed up the planned work was good.

The network was formed in 2011 after more than 5000 homes were red zoned across the Avon River corridor. It represents almost 40 groups and its main aim is to promote the area as an ecological and recreational reserve for the community.

The council expects it to take between 30 and 50 years to complete the corridor’s development.