James Gough: Christchurch City Councillor

Results for the Christchurch City Council’s Life in Christchurch survey are out for 2019 and nearly two thirds of respondents say they feel positively about our central city.

This is good news and probably in-line with expectations given the progress we have seen over the past 12 months. Hospitality tenancies on The Terrace are performing exceptionally well and The Crossing’s retail offering is equally popular.

The EntX cinema complex is proving to be a significant drawcard along too with the two major completed council projects, the Central Library (Tūranga) and Town Hall. The final piece of the retail precinct is just around the corner with the Riverside Market set to open this spring – something I am very much looking forward to.

Understandably 93 percent of respondents feel the central city provides a range of restaurants, bars and cafés; 70 percent feel it is safe for pedestrians; 76 percent of respondents would consider living in central city terraced housing compared to 65 percent in low-rise apartments.

The trends are often more interesting than the numbers themselves and encouragingly, whilst only 20 percent travel to the central city 2-4 times per week, this is up from 13 percent the year prior. The importance of expediting the remaining anchor projects cannot be underestimated nor can incentives for increasing inner city residential developments and residents, which is key.

There are certainly some encouraging signs but it is clear we are going to have to step up and do things differently if we are to be anywhere near satisfied when we see the 2020 survey results.