NEW BRIGHTON REVITALISATION DRAFT MASTER PLAN

Transcription

1 NEW BRIGHTON REVITALISATION DRAFT MASTER PLAN SEPTEMBER 2002

2 Contents Page No: 1. The Vision General Priorities within each Activity Area Top 11 Priorities Immediate Short Term Gains Budget Activity Matrix Summary Appendices Appendix A: Plan of Area Considered by Taskforce Appendix B: New Brighton Village Activity Areas Appendix C: Beach park Plan Appendix D: Beach Huts Appendix E: New Brighton Village View Along Marine Parade Appendix F: New Brighton Village Conceptual View of Slow Road/High St Appendix G: Plan View of Artificial Reef Appendix H: New Brighton Village View of Plaza/Sculpture Court Area

3 Executive Summary New Brighton requires a focus and a vision in order for it to progress. The vision must come from a variety of inputs. It will inevitably be a compromise, a compromise that best fits the ultimate aim which is to revitalise the area. Input from the various interested groups has been achieved through the use of consultation and then the establishment of a Taskforce. The Taskforce is made up of people who have the skills which match those necessary to take raw input from all parties and turn that input into a plan of action for achieving a vision. The Taskforce also has representation from the interested parties. The vision is clear. New Brighton needs to be a destination place where the sea and foreshore attract people and the beach is connected back to the commercial area to attract spending and investment. To achieve the vision will take a considerable amount of time. This Draft Master Plan identifies the broad areas that need to be addressed in order that finally, New Brighton achieves the vision. It clearly focuses on the 2002/03 and 2003/04 financial years. This is due to the current funding that is available for work in New Brighton. The Draft Master Plan does identify that further expenditure is needed in later financial years in order to fully complete the vision. The money available will be spent on infrastructure items. It is intended that private investors have confidence to invest in commercial and residential development once they see that the community and Council are committed to seeing a change occur. There is $1.54M available for expenditure on the revitalisation of New Brighton. The Draft Master Plan identifies the top priorities that need to be worked on. The available budget is allocated against these priorities with the understanding that the allocations will be firmed up as work commences on each item. The Draft Master Plan includes a list of what are identified as quick win items. These are items that can be worked on immediately without the need to seek Resource or Building consent. The Taskforce has identified the need to have tangible results as soon as possible. Confidence within the community and confidence with investors needs to be raised and maintained.

4 The Vision The revitalisation of New Brighton is seen as a key project in development of a suburb that is currently in a state of decline. The area covered by this Draft Master Plan is shown in Appendix A. The vision as described by the community is as follows: New Brighton: A destination place where the sea and foreshore attract people and the beach is connected back to the commercial area to attract spending and investment. There are a number of Principles for Development that need to be adhered to when considering elements for inclusion in the Draft Master Plan. These Principles can be split into two main areas described as follows: - Principles that achieve compliance with the City Plan - Principles that achieve compliance with the Draft Master Plan Principles that achieve compliance with the City Plan are: - elements must have a sustainable component - elements must encourage investment in redevelopment of commercial and residential areas of New Brighton Where there are Principles that don t comply with the City Plan, but comply with the Draft Master Plan, recommendations for amendments to the City Plan are required. Principles that achieve compliance for elements in the Draft Master Plan are: - the Seaside village concept - improve the connection between the foreshore and the mall - active beach type recreation - arts and/or hospitality focus - sustainability - encourage investment and redevelopment of commercial and new residential activities As part of the vision, the following five areas of activity were identified: - foreshore and beach - arts and hospitality - convenience shopping - service shopping - residential These areas are identified on the plan included as Appendix B.

5 General Priorities Within Each Activity Area Each Activity area has been considered in detail and a list of priorities has been developed. The areas and the priorities are detailed below: (a) Foreshore and Beach The pier and pier building are the catalyst for any future development of the beach and foreshore areas. Development of these areas are seen as critical for the revitalisation of New Brighton. Any such development needs to build on the significant assets that the pier and pier building represent. The community has clearly indicated that this is to be the priority focus of any Draft Master Plan. Improving accessibility to the beach is an overarching principle. In conjunction with improved access the whole issue of circulation is critical to the success of any development. Circulation can be broken down into two main categories. They are (a) vehicle and (b) pedestrian circulation. Vehicle circulation is dealt with under item d) further through this plan. Pedestrian circulation can be broken down into three main areas. They are as follows: - beach side promenade, extending at various levels from Rawhiti Ave to Rodney St. The promenade will provide access opportunities to the beach, the pier building, activity areas and the shopping precinct. It is important to have clear views of the beach from the promenade. - beach park. There is no direct path planned through this area, just opportunities to move easily between the area. - Marine parade. Widened footpaths allowing for outside dining on the western side of the road. Recognisable opportunities for crossing between the beach park and the shopping precinct. The pedestrian link between the two areas needs to be strong The development of the beach, including on the water as well as foreshore activity, with a recreational family activity area building off the central core provided by the pier and the library. The children s playground area is something that must be retained in any developed area. The whale pool has a special place in the heart s of Christchurch residents. In order to achieve any revitalisation the following objectives need to be fulfilled: - to provide a variety of spaces offering unique and exciting year round recreational opportunities to the broadest cross-section of the wider Christchurch community - to encourage easy and pleasant pedestrian movement throughout the area, using a simple circulation system - to minimise the effects of the predominant easterly wind to encourage long term use of the area

6 to provide strong visual and physical links between the beach and the mall shopping precinct Priorities that have been developed are: 1. Create a beach park plan which deals with issues such as - landscaping - theatre area - sea side market - late night carnival - skateboard area 2. Strengthen the connection between the foreshore and commercial area 3. Design and allow for in the beach park plan an area for beach huts. These beach huts would be used for rental of surfboards, kites and other equipment related to beach activity 4. Build an artificial reef to enhance surfing at New Brighton. The main emphasis here is, for the Draft Master Plan that is being developed, to take into account that a separate group is promoting the issue of an artificial reef and that this type of activity falls in line with the principles of this Draft Master Plan 5. Set aside an area on the foreshore for a key anchor activity. Seek Registrations of Interest for such an area and then undertake appropriate feasibility studies to determine what is appropriate 6. Obtain official Council acknowledgement of the importance of the revitalisation of New Brighton to the overall well-being of the city (b) Arts and Hospitality The eastern end of New Brighton mall has been identified as the area where Arts and hospitality should be concentrated. To some extent this area is already developing along these lines. Opportunities still exist for a much more significant development of hospitality based businesses. There is an obvious spin-off for adjacent businesses with a much larger development of hospitality based business. The New Brighton area has the potential to become known as a centre for arts and craft in Christchurch. The eastern end of the mall offers potential for the establishment of an arts display area. This area could be used by local New Brighton artists as well as other artists throughout the city. It has the potential to develop into an attraction worthy of visiting time and again.

7 - 4 - To encourage further development the following initiatives have been proposed: 1. The section of Marine Parade between Beresford St and Hawke St needs to be narrowed down. This can be done by having a narrow dual carriageway, removal of existing traffic islands and planted berms. This would enable the creation of a pedestrian boardwalk environment on the mall side of Marine Parade. The aim is to create a comfortable sheltered pedestrian dominated environment with outdoor eating encouraged. Suitable wind breaks in the form of screens could be installed to make the area more inviting. 2. The Eastern end of the mall should be developed to allow for the public display of art from both local and other artists. Areas for could set aside for short term rental by artists for display and possible sale of their works. 3. The establishment of a cinema with a strong film festival programme fitting in with the alternative and artistic communities already in existence in the New Brighton area. 4. Establish a Local Museum, Art and Craft Gallery and Performing Arts Theatre with a more alternative and emergent focus (c) High St/Convenience shopping The central part of the existing mall needs to be developed along the lines of a High Street retail focus. The Draft Master Plan identifies the introduction of a one-way slow road through this part of the mall with short term parking available for convenience shopping. The type of shops in this area need to be in keeping with the overall theme for New Brighton. Shopping in this area has to create a strong unified unique identity to compete with other suburban malls. There is already a core of convenience based retail in this area some of which fronts onto the Hawke St carpark. Such retail includes a supermarket, chemist, hardware, fruit and vegetable shop. These activities should not be discouraged with new developments but they should be encouraged to grow because they act as a destination that generates foot traffic and spins off to the other unique specialty retail outlets. 1. Introduce a slow-road through part of the existing mall. The layout should allow for pedestrian crossings, street furniture such as seating, rubbish bins etc, a good level of lighting for added safety, landscaping to match existing work at the Eastern end of the mall and short term parking. 2. Shopping should reflect the seaside location. Shops along the lines of surfwear, sporting goods, streetwear, alternative bookshops, antiques, maritime arts and crafts should be encouraged.

8 - 5 - (d) Service Retail A service retail group already exists. The area is located at the western end of the mall in Seaview Rd just before the entrance to the mall. This group covers things such as banking, video stores, fast food takeaway shops and a supermarket. The Draft Master Plan does not propose any change to this group. (e) Residential There is general agreement that there is a need to encourage more residential development in and around the mall. Any such developments should offer a full cross-section of accommodation from the budget to the high-end, from aged care to single student/worker accommodation in a higher density to that of the surrounding, predominantly family sized, single level dwelling. Residential development can occur in two distinct areas. These areas are the existing residential areas surrounding the mall, including the beachfront and the commercial area itself. It is proposed that residential development on the beachfront be limited to developments in the order of 5 to 7 story apartment style buildings and that such developments occur close to the commercial area. The option exists for some of the landlords to turn existing vacant commercial premises into residential. In order to achieve this there may be a need to address current City Plan issues. It is recognised that the mall is too long and there is a need for there to be more intensive residential development in close proximity to the commercial area.

9 Top 11 Priorities Each of the areas described in Section 2 were analysed and from each group a list of action points requiring Council funding was established. From the list of priorities for all the activity areas, the top 11 priorities were established. The list is comprised of both short term and long term elements of the Draft Master Plan. The top 11 priorities are as follows: 1. Develop the foreshore beach park. The Draft Master Plan seeks to allow for more active recreational activity near the pier and keeping the more passive recreational areas closer to the carparks. It should be noted that the work associated with the development of the foreshore will need to take place over a number of financial years. This is reflected in the Activity matrix is Section 6 where budgeting is shown over several financial years. There are some key elements of the foreshore beach park that can be implemented quickly. These are the promenade and lighting between the pier building and the northern carpark. This element will help to give some focus to the work planned for the whole foreshore. It has been noted that the area surrounding the War Memorial needs urgent attention. The community has been asking for something to be done for a number of years. As part of the development of the foreshore, the refurbishment of the War memorial and the surrounding area need to be attended to with some urgency. The Activity matrix shows this work happening in the 2002/2003 financial year. Negotiations with Coast Care have identified that $60,000 could be obtained from the Coast Care budget for this work. The Pier and Foreshore Society have indicated that they want to undertake fundraising for the refurbishment work. Any contributions from the Pier and Foreshore Society would be fed back into the Council accounts thereby further reducing the effective cost to Council. 2. Tender Foreshore Activity Area. New Brighton needs to be seen as a destination. The appropriate key anchor activity can create this image. The process of allowing for the development of a commercial interest on the foreshore needs to be carefully controlled. A tender process followed by a detailed feasibility analysis will allow for control over what may end up being developed.

10 Beach Park Plan. A plan for a beach park has already been developed by the Parks and Waterways Unit. There is significant alignment between this plan and the vision that has been developed by the Taskforce for the foreshore area. The intention is to make use of the work previously done. Refer to Appendix C for existing beach park plan. The most significant elements of an integrated plan will be: the development of a promenade from Rawhiti Ave to Rodney St with views of the sea lighting in the beach park area and beach areas to extend their useable hours and enhance the evening potential for the area the building of a row of beach huts to be used for rental of surfboards, kites and the sale of ice-creams, film etc the building of BBQ areas provision of a market area staging of regular events a rock-climbing wall skateboard area Once an area has been identified for a potential key anchor activity, it will be possible to finalise the beach park plan. Refer to Appendix D for a view of the beach huts. 4. Public Toilets and baby change facility. There is no central facility in the New Brighton commercial area. Such a facility is a key element to any development. The whole infrastructure of New Brighton needs to have elements that allow for enjoyable public use. All of the essential elements must be present for any development to be successful. These facilities need to be centrally located and well signposted. 5. New Traffic plans. These plans are intended to cover a number of areas within the scope of the New Brighton area. Before any work is done in developing the following items, a traffic analysis and a subsequent traffic management plan of the area around New Brighton is required. This traffic analysis will need to take into account issues related to traffic moving through the area as well as bus movements in and out of the existing interchange located in Oram Ave. The discrete items are: Marine Parade. The Draft Master Plan proposes further treatment of the section of Marine Parade between Hawke St and Beresford St. The purpose of this is to strengthen the link between the foreshore and the mall. A lot of work has recently been completed in making this section of Marine Parade a slow section. This previous work needs to be enhanced on. It is also recognised that Marine Parade provides a link between Southshore and North New Brighton. The effect on this link as a result of any changes proposed needs to be fully analysed.

11 - 8 - Beresford St. Beresford St between Union St and Marine Parade is to be upgraded. The purpose of this is to make the transition from the Beresford St carpark to the mall more pedestrian friendly. Seaview Rd. Seaview Rd between the roundabout at the river and the Union St intersection is to have some minor treatment dealing with some of the existing traffic blips. Slow road through the mall. This is a new section of road passing through the mall from the Western end up to and exiting out through the Oram Ave and Beresford St intersection. Entrance Markers. In addition to the roading works, entrance markers are proposed at the main entrances to New Brighton. These are to help identify the area. They will also assist in slowing down traffic as it enters areas where pedestrian activity has been enhanced by the other developments. Bus Interchange. Review and develop a bus interchange system which meets the needs of the traffic management plan. There are a significant number of bus movements through New Brighton on a daily basis. The bus system provides a significant link between New Brighton and the rest of the City. The bus interchange needs to linked to the developments proposed in order to fully take advantage of the benefits of new developments. Refer to Appendix E and F for artists impressions of views of Marine Parade and the proposed slow road through the mall respectively. 6. Artificial Reef. The reef could potentially provide a significant attraction for New Brighton. It would be the only such reef in the South Island and may well enable the holding of significant (National) surfing contests. An artificial reef fits well with the image of New Brighton being a seaside village. The reef would be a unique feature in the South Island and would attract significant interest from surfing groups all around the country. The reef is being promoted by the Pegasus Bay Recreational Reef Trust. Preliminary studies have been carried out which indicate a reef is feasible. The Reef Trust and Taskforce are to work together to progress work on the reef with the next stage being the detailed design and environmental impact analysis followed by application for a Resource Consent. Refer to Appendix G for a view of where the reef sits in relation to the pier.

12 Sculpture Court. The New Brighton community has an already established art/craft community. In order to stimulate the on-going development of this community, an area is to be allocated for the display and sale of artwork. Currently an area located in the eastern end of the mall has been identified. It is proposed that artists rent a space for a short term, so that a regular turnover of artwork occurs. This area, as stated above, will, due to the proposed regular turnover of artwork, be an on-going attraction which will draw people back time and again. Refer to Appendix H for an artists impression of where the sculpture Court would be located. 8. Tree Planting scheme. Develop a tree planting scheme for New Brighton with the aim of encouraging residents to plant more trees on their properties. A publicity pamphlet is to be developed and distributed to the New Brighton area. This pamphlet will identify a range of tree species that will be appropriate for a coastal environment and how they should be looked after. It is intended that the scheme along with the other improvements identified will encourage people to plant more trees on their property. 9. Residential Development. The need for some high density residential in and around the mall has been established. Amendments to the current zoning within the commercial area will be required to allow the appropriate developments to occur. Issues associated with medium rise apartment blocks along the foreshore need to identified and addressed. At this stage it is considered that any development will be by private developers. The character of any development needs to in keeping with the vision for New Brighton. 10. Public telephone. There is no existing public telephone in New Brighton. Telecom needs to be approached to obtain agreement to install a phone. Once again this item is a key element of any overall infrastructure development and needed for satisfactory public perception of services the area provides. 11. Re-brand. New Brighton needs to be re-branded. The whole of Christchurch needs to see/understand the new image and vision that New Brighton is offering. The current image needs to be almost completely reversed. The public need to see New Brighton as a destination which is enjoyable to visit and has attractions worthy of a class seaside suburb. The re-branding is something that will need to be worked on over a period of time. Before people come to recognise that New Brighton is changing, they need to see some physical changes occur. However even before the physical works occur, people need to see what the vision for New Brighton is.

13 Immediate Short Term Gains The items listed here are items that could proceed without any encumbrances such as having to wait for Resource Consent. These are also items that have minimal design requirements. There is some overlap of this list with the list noted in Section 3. The immediate short term gains are as follows: 1. Public Phone refer to Section 3 for details. Follow up on previous applications to Telecom for the installation of a public telephone. The importance of getting a public telephone is linked to the community seeing a commitment from the Council to have the basics in place. 2. Tree planting scheme refer to Section 3 for details. Introducing a tree planting scheme allows for the involvement of the whole community in enhancing the image of New Brighton. The revitalisation is about all parties, Council, the community and investors taking some ownership of the current situation and collectively working towards the vision. 3. Immediate maintenance the taskforce through the Burwood/Pegasus Community Board should request that maintenance be kept up to date. Any issues that are noted should be followed up immediately. 4. Sculpture Court refer to Section 3 for details. This will generate some immediate activity/interest and indicate the intent of what the revitalisation is seeking to achieve.

14 Proposed Budget Allocations The Taskforce are making the following recommendations regarding the use of the money: 2002/ / / / / /08 Council Budgeted New Brighton Commercial area $500,000 $690,000 Development New Brighton Beresford St Car (2) $200,000 Parking Development Central New Brighton $150,000 Playground Upgrading Coastal Mgt improvements (4) $60,000 (Parks) Total $910,000 $690,000 Draft Master Plan Priorities Foreshore/Beach Park $400,000 (1) $600,000 (1) $200,000 (5) $200,000 (5) $200,000 (5) $200,000 Mall Area $100,000 City Streets - Roading $50,000 $200,000 $610,000 Parks Children s Playground $150,000 Sub-total $650,000 $800,000 $810,000 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 Separate Rate - Businesses (3) ($610,000) Surplus (Shortfall) (1) $260,000 ($110, 000) ($200,000) ($200,000) ($200,000) ($200,000) Transfer between years ($260,000) $110,000 $150,000 Adjusted Surplus (Shortfall) 0 0 ($50,000) ($200,000) ($200,000) ($200,000) Notes: (1) To achieve the above requires transferring $110,000 from the 2002/03 budget to 2003/04 and $150,000 from 2002/03 to 2004/05. (2) $200,000 (estimate) from sale of surplus land in Beresford Street. (3) Income of $610,000 from separate rate paid by New Brighton Mall commercial ratepayers, subject to consultation. (4) Funding from parks and waterways coastal management improvements to be allocated for work on the cenotaph. (5) Numbers in italics indicate funding not yet provided.

15 Activity Matrix The activity matrix detailed below indicates main activities and expected budget and expenditure periods. Item Action 2002/ / / / / / Foreshore design and obtaining Resource Consent $25,000 2 Foreshore $200,000 $350,000 $600,000 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 Construction promenade/lighting 3 War Memorial $100,000 refurbishment 5 Tender Foreshore $5,000 Activity Area 6 Finalise Beach Park $3,000 Plan incorporating anchor activity 7 Public toilets and baby $100,000 change facility 8 New Traffic plans. $50,000 Design for the main roading issues 9 Roading construction $600, Artificial Reef $118,000 Detailed design Artificial Reef $5,000 Resource Consent Sculpture Court $15, Tree Planting scheme $4, Residential $5,000 Development Zone amendments 13 Public telephone $2, Re brand New Brighton $20,000 Totals $652,000 $950,000

16 Notes: 1. The figures allocated are provisional at this stage and will need to be verified as the project progresses. This may slightly alter the allocation structure. 2. Figures in italics are un-budgeted. 3. The above allocations include costs associated with further consultation that may be required to progress matters though the public arena. 4. It will be possible to get a number of things underway in parallel with one another during the current financial year. The items detailed are not interdependant, although in order to produce the complete picture all are needed. 5. The $118,000 allocated for detailed design on the artificial reef may be reduced by the use of local post-graduate student research projects at the University of Canterbury.

17 Summary The Draft Master Plan is a collation of inputs from the community, technical advisors, developers, investors and council staff. It provides a broad outline for the revitalisation of New Brighton and how this revitalisation might be started. It does not and is not intended to be a document which identifies all the detail associated with any given element of the overall plan. The development of detail will occur as work on the individual priorities are started. New Brighton needs to be a unique destination. The vision needs to be based around a beach theme. This message has been clearly received from the community. The Draft Master Plan primarily is focussed on the foreshore/beach area. This is the catalyst for creating the unique destination. A lot of the other work proposed by the Draft Master Plan is there to compliment the foreshore work and improve the infrastructure and general look of the area. The $1.54M available for the revitalisation is a small part of what is required to achieve the vision. The work proposed by the Draft Master Plan will be complimented by private investment. Private investors must also share the vision and proposals need to reflect the long term plans for the area. Support for the Draft Master Plan is required from all the parties that have had an involvement in the development of it. This support must continue throughout the whole revitalisation process which will take a number of years.