1. 2023 Consultation | Background Info
2. 2023 Consultation | Feedback from Organisations
3. 2023 Consultation | Feedback from Individuals:
‘Community Hub’ Option
4. 2023 Consultation | Feedback from Individuals:
‘Recreation and Play Space’ Option
1. 2023 Consultation | Background Info
‘How Should We Develop Shirley Community Reserve?’ Consultation:
https://letstalk.ccc.govt.nz/SCR
Open for feedback: 17 July 2023 to 14 August 2023
The options that we’ve developed take into consideration feedback received by the Shirley community in 2020, as well as what we’ve seen works well around Ōtautahi Christchurch. These options include:
– A recreation space with a full basketball court, renewed playground, planting, a picnic and BBQ area, a community garden and a walkway.
– Creating a community hub that’s open to partnerships with local organisations.
– Leaving the space as it is.
Consultation Feedback Report:
https://letstalk.ccc.govt.nz/download_file/view/3925/475
2. 2023 Consultation | Feedback from Organisations
– Page 1, #3701, Shirley Community Trust, Ann Powley
“We don’t need another community hub – we already have a few of those in Shirley…Also – there are more anxious people in our community than we fully realise.
Many will not come to community hubs, or any facility that has too many people in a confined space, is too loud and bustling, or makes demands of them socially that they are not comfortable with.
Outside spaces such as this could be offer gentler opportunity for interaction to the degree people are comfortable with, in a way they are more comfortable with.”
– Page 1, #4355, Dallington OSCAR, Lisa Manning
“Maybe have an area where you could have story times etc like the botanical gardens this would be amazing for the children in our community.”
– Page 1, #6812, St Albans Residents Association, Jason Harvey
“A purpose built building for the Shirley Community that is fully accessible and will accommodate the activities that contribute to the wellbeing of the residents now and in the future is needed at this site.
Shirley is a deprived area of the city and this is an opportunity for the CCC to address this inequality and provide a space which will be around for the next 100 years for the community to use and develop.
With the educational and commercial facilities around the site the centre will add to and benefit the community hub which together with the public transport route enable the community a more sustainable future.”
– Page 1, #6836, Spokes Canterbury, Anne Scott
“Spokes would like to see the shared paths for cyclist retained and upgraded, and the provision of good quality, secure cycle parking what ever option is chosen…
We are keen on active transport options to facilitate cycling as a way of accessing community facilities.”
– There were no submissions received from these local organisations:
Shirley Village Project, Eastern Community Sport and Recreation Inc, Delta Community Support Trust, Avebury House & We are Richmond.
A few people involved in the above local organisations did however make an ‘individual’ submission with their ‘top ranked option’ being ‘Recreation and Play Space’ or ‘Keep the Space as it is’.
3. 2023 Consultation | Feedback from Individuals:
‘Community Hub’ Option
– #1240: A community space where classes and groups can be held is the thing we currently don’t have – there are plenty of playgrounds and green spaces around.
The McFarlane park centre has made a big difference to the feeling of engagement in the community slightly north, and provides the engagement to make things like a community garden possible later on.
Going straight to a community garden is unlikely to work without there being engagement already.
The current space as it is isn’t used much, and definitely needs improving.
– #1241: A community hub is the most important for all groups having access and for the community to have a central connection point.
Since the earthquakes the community has been disjointed and has no identity without a central hub.
– #1322: Build a community hub in order to build up our community!
Pre-quakes, the centre had been home to numerous organisations and programmes that enriched the area and helped the community to connect.
It is vital to the area that this be reinstated.
The community need bookable spaces such as those in most libraries around the city.
Shirley is missing out. The facilities of the Halswell Library + community spaces (not including the pool) are great…
The area has a relatively high number of Kaianga Ora houses, and work is underway to infill those properties with higher-density accommodation, meaning that the proportion of the local population experiencing high deprivation and associated additional needs will increase.
Greater provision of support services are vital for building and maintaining community cohesion, and upskilling residents who have been let down in the past in one way or another (eg. inadequate literacy and numeracy approaches at school for a few decades; trauma in its various forms leading to addictions, etc).
Organisations, service-providers and programmes need to have a home in the area, and replacing the community hub at this site is vital for this, so that it provides easy access for wraparound support.
Without this, the costs to local and central govt will increase through reduced community cohesion, reduced mental health and wellbeing, reduced education and vocation skills, increased crime, disengagement of youth, etc.
Some of the space can be kept as green space – Christchurch South Library has a lovely green outlook on the north and east sides.
If the Shirley community hub was similar to the Halswell library and community centre, it could wrap beautifully around green space…
At 10 Shirley Road a 2 storey building could provide a highly-functioning library, large-medium-and-small meeting spaces, plus a home for various organisations and programmes AND
maximise the retention of green space for those who value keeping the site as it is plus those who wish to see additional recreation and play spaces.
– #1326: a community hub with subsidized ability to hire the space for local groups (e.g. evening activities, music groups, board game groups, other hobby groups, plunket courses)…Together with the existing play enter would create a cool community hub for Richmond/Shirley.
– #1396: A thriving community centre was there before the earthquakes & funding for it to be rebuilt was put on the LTP.
So many other suburbs have had major council investments with having community centre upgrades or rebuilds why is shirley having to fight for theirs to be reinstate.
– #1661: This side of Shirley Rd is desperate for a community hub.
We have been waiting years for our community centre to be rebuilt.
I have been involved with the Playcentre in the reserve for almost 10 years now and we have been consulted so many times, and every time our families have expressed their need for a community centre to help bring our wider community together…
The table tennis table and benches were a huge waste of money and we never see them used…the playground is used mostly in the 15mins before and after school pickup, but the rest of the reserve is rarely used.
– #1725: Community hub + library in a design that incorporates keeping ALL the mature trees. I used to live near the new Halswell Library, and Shirley deserves that sort of facility too.
– #1804: The former Community Building at 10 Shirley Road served as a vital space that brought people together and facilitated various community needs.
Its mixed-use nature allowed individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and interests
to participate in diverse activities, fostering pride in the local area.
I submit the reasons below why reestablishing a community hub is crucial for the neighbourhood’s growth and development.
1. Strengthening Social Bonds
2. Promoting Personal and Communal Development
3. Boosting Local Economy
4. Catalysing Positive Change
5. Inclusivity and Diversity
[Each of the above points has more info provided in the Feedback Report .pdf]
The revival of the community hub is not just about rebuilding a physical structure; it’s about revitalizing the heart of our neighbourhood.
A community hub serves as a focal point for unity, growth, and progress.
By bringing people together, promoting personal and communal development, boosting the local economy, and catalysing positive change, the community hub will create a flourishing and vibrant neighbourhood we can all take pride in.
Let us come together and work towards the reestablishment of our community hub, ensuring a brighter future for generations to come.
– #1832: Community support is the most important, especially given that Shirley’s facilities have been missing for such a long time.
It would be awesome to move the library there and have community facilities as part of it.
The library would be more accessible (parking at The Palms is awful, and the orbiter doesn’t go next to the library currently, making it more difficult for those who use public transport – especially people with illness/disabilities), and having connected community facilities would make it all easier to use, service, and be a focal point for the community to come together.
Having the resources in the one place just makes sense.
– #2324: A true community hub should aim to meet the needs of all members of the community and recognise the value of maintaining an environment which meets a balance of physical, social and ecological needs in a sustainable form.
– #2684: We need the community centre back in Shirley. The Acheson ave 1 is far to small and not central to Shirley…
The space is wasted at the moment as grass and a carpark.
– #3202: At the last LTP 1200 people signed a petition that was presented and received $3mill plus the promise of a feasibility study to investigate the concept of a combined library and community centre on the site…
This community is not confined to Shirley…There is incredible inequity across the city. Many communities have had tens of millions invested in them…
Despite population growth, and a huge amount of infill housing we still await our replacement centre.
We wanted the idea of a library co-sited to be investigated.
I have not had any information on this actually happening despite the LTP resolution for this.
Our library at Shirley, one of the busiest in Christchurch, despite a makeover is still unable to provide the breadth of activities provided at other libraries.
We are unable to access meeting rooms like at other libraries. Again our community is disadvantaged…
We want an accessible future proof community centre and library – we want a secular facility that welcomes all.
The site on Shirley Road is in the heart of the community…
This is the perfect site to invest in for the future of our community. It is a beautiful site with Dudley Creek and its plantings.
– #3590: The area has no community centre, and few meeting rooms. Church halls and other rooms are far and few, post-quake damage. Some people prefer to avoid church premises. The old community centre was excellent for a variety of rooms sizes, a good bus service, a playing area and some off-street parking.
– #4029: The community hub to bring ppl of all ages together. The recreational and play space may put off elderly ppl to utilise the area.
– #4275: With so much “recreational” space available (under the label of red zone), why not build a recreation and play space using an area in the red zone and use the current space as a community hub.
– #4404: As a resident of Shirley, we need the return of a community centre that is large and visible, similar to the facility that used to exist at 10 Shirley Road…
What is truly needed is a place where the community can gather and take pride in.
A location that can be used by multiple groups, accommodating multiple users simultaneously.
This place should be an integral part of Shirley’s future, just as it was in Shirley’s past. The other options being considered are an affront to the Shirley community.
10 Shirley Road is visible to the community as most people travel along Shirley road.
– #4566: The Shirley Road Reserve had a community centre on it prior to it being badly damaged by the Christchurch earthquakes.
My understanding is that it was quite a busy and well utilized facility within the community, so it was clearly popular and a much needed asset to the area.
This is backed up by the fact that a petition of 1,200 local residents have signed a petition that was presented to Council in support for it to be rebuilt…
Previously there was a sizeable off-street carpark in the reserve, however with surrounding Slater and Chancellor Streets both being as wide as they are, surely there is ample space for on street angle parking in order to free up more of the reserve for community facilities and the planting of additional trees.
– #4596: More accessible community hubs are critical for our city as we continue to intensify our housing choices.
– #4983: A community hub would help residents of this area connect and get to know each other creating a place to go to do this. We are a young working class family that would appreciate having a facility in our area to do so.
The current playground is not that safe for my children to enjoy.
They would love to connect with other families in our area through events and activities that a community hub would accommodate.
– #5452: I would like to see a Community Centre reinstated on this site as promised.
It could sit well alongside a recreation and play space as as there was plenty of room for both building and play areas when I attended school there in the 1960’s.
10 Shirley Road is on an excellent bus route served by several buses including The Orbiter.
It was used by many groups and organisations both day and night.
New houses are being built in the area with a growing population with many people not having cars…
– #5677: The community center should be rebuilt. This is not a fair process for a whole bunch of communities and community groups who are now in the 13th year since the earthquakes, and are pleading for council to replace the functional and relied upon Center…
The Center could become a catalyst to make the area around the primary school, and business space, a much safer space for people who are not in a car.
That is very clearly the direction our city needs to head towards, so why not build this into the plan….
The real consultation should be ‘How do We maximise the community use of the rebuilt Center at 10 Shirley Rd’.
– #6837: All the other community centres in other parts of the city have been rebuilt or restored after earthquake damage and I find it frustrating that the well-used Shirley Community Centre has been overlooked for so long – it feels like the council is deliberately neglecting this area.
The excuse that the previous survey was “split” is not accurate, in that survey it was made clear that no building was being considered at that time, so submitters were encouraged to only propose options that did not involve a building.
Despite this many submitters asked for the community centre back.
There has also been a petition that has been signed by 1200 people asking for our community centre to be rebuilt.
We need a community centre that is run by a secular group, not a church as we are a diverse community, and a community centre should be welcoming to people from all backgrounds.
There is also a large amount of new housing in the area and existing community spaces do not have much capacity, they are often full or not big enough for larger gatherings.
10 Shirley Road is a great site for a community centre as it has Richmond, Shirley, Edgeware and Mairehau suburbs bordering it and can bring people together from these surrounding suburbs as well as other areas slightly further afield.
It is very visible and busy spot with popular eateries and shops just through the alleyway on Hills Road, and also many parents and children pass through twice a day to go to and from Shirley Primary across the road.
It is easy walking and biking access from the north through Macfarlane Park/Shirley Primary and also from the south with an easy link onto the proposed new Richmond biking trail via Stapletons Rd and Julius Tce.
There is also a bus stop right outside on Shirley Road.
There is already an excellent recreation hub just down the road at the Avon Hub so another recreation hub is not required here…
It would also be good to move the Shirley Library to 10 Shirley Road and build a library that is more fit for purpose.
The current Shirley Library is very busy yet far too small and we miss out on many events and activities that other libraries have. E.g. KidsFest events, Minecraft clubs, workshops, CCC board meetings.
When there are events on, the shelves in the library often need to be moved around to accommodate and it feels very cramped.
The young adults’ area particularly is very small and it would be nice to have some welcoming areas for young people to hang out and work on the computers, play board games etc.
10 Shirley Road is easier to access for all modes of transport (driving, walking, biking and bus) than the current location in the mall and a much nice environment in the park.
4. 2023 Consultation | Feedback from Individuals
‘Recreation and Play Space’ Option
As in the 2020 Consultation, many individuals involved with the existing Community Centres, voted for this option as they are against a new building that would compete? (for funding, activity providers, participants) with the existing Centres.
I agree with the submitters, we don’t need another ‘traditional’ community centre, that in my opinion would compete with the other existing local ‘traditional’ community centres.
We need a ‘contemporary’ community centre:
A Citizen Hub with co-located Christchurch City Council services:
Shirley Library & Service Centre.
– An inclusive & accessible building,
– Relocating Shirley Library to Shirley Road,
– With dedicated Learning Spaces & Meeting Rooms.
– #948, Rebecca Roper-Gee: The existing playground, half court, table tennis table, pump track all get use. The green space is used but the uneven surface limits uses – e.g. not the safest for running around on.
A toilet would be fantastic and increase usability, and potentially picnic area and BBQs.
I don’t believe we need another building. Delta, Avebury House, Masons Lodge, schools, Shirley Library, the Palms, Shirley Community Trust all have spaces that can be used for meetings etc.
I think it is better to support these hubs where there is already energy rather than pour energy into a new building – it’s the volunteers and collaborations that bring value for community, not the structures.
– #960, Hayley Guglietta: There has been so much tension over the Shirley Reserve because of the strong feeling that something that was there before should be replaced.
A lot of money has been spent on feasibility studies that all come to the same conclusion in that what was there before is not needed and not sustainable.
CCC do not have capacity nor budget to manage another community facility and the loud voices who are demanding it are not prepared to do and maintain activation as has occurred in the area with other community groups.
Both the Shirley Village Project and We are Richmond have plans that focus on restoring mahinga kai and the Shirley Reserve collides with each respective plan.
I would like to see a focus on this restoration and connection, as well as active play spaces for local families and the school community to utilise.
Perhaps if the small but strong voices want a community centre back they should start by finding funding to put a prefab in and testing the idea, show CCC it could be community managed and that there is a need still.
They are stopping other great ideas from happening in the space.
– #1347: An accessible playground for all kids- so many kids aren’t able to join in play because of bark and playgrounds that are unacceptable.
It’s a disgrace that community spaces aren’t not considering all kids/ all people as much as they could do.
I know my son misses out on being able to easily join in without assistance from a parent because of the terrible play spaces throughout our city (minus a few good ones such as Margaret Mahy and Scarborough).
– #1366: A community hub is cool and all but often I find the community that actually benefits is so limited and so averse to centralised resources or whatever that they don’t really make enough use of it to justify the budget spend.
There’s definitely super good potential for super awesome initiatives to come out of a community hub but in my experience they usually fall short in this city and end up looking and feeling hollow and unloved.
– #1704: I’ve put “a recreation and play space” first because, while I also love the idea of a community hub, I would still want there to be space for recreation and play there even with a community hub concept.
Can there be both aspects incorporated?
I’d want any community hub to be buzzing and love the idea of social enterprise cafe that I can wander down to on the weekend, perhaps a local market.
I wouldn’t want to see an empty building that competes with Avebury House and runs the same sort of classes.
I’d want it to be vibrant and fun.
– #1963: I spend a lot of time in my garage when it is sunny, like watching the children and their families enjoy and using the park, this gives me some enjoyment.
– #1964: My concern with building a community hub there is that it would not service the Shirley Community north of Shirley Road.
The demographic changes significantly as you head north of Shirley Road, where people are less likely to travel outside their community.
If a centre was built, I believe it would mostly serve the affluent areas of
Richmond and other interest groups from across Christchurch…
and Shirley (The area north of Shirley Road) would miss out on investment.
– #3861: The space is already being used for recreation & play, could be kept as is or given a few improvements/upgrades/ additions to make it even better!
There are other meeting spaces in the community – Macfarlane Park, Avebury House, Delta, ESCC etc.
– #4009: There is already a shirley community centre at mcfarlane park and there is already a shirley community garden, seems silly to double up.
Perhaps do a playground revamp including play equipment for disabled kids and things like mother amd baby swings
– #4375, Murray James: Richmond is well serviced by community spaces and resources, Avebury House, Richmond Community Garden, Avon Hub, Delta, Richmond Club. It does not need another capital asset that then requires funding to be spread away from these established organisations / places to support and maintain it.
The Shirley community has made great strides developing their own community activity around McFarlane Park.
The activators in this space should be consulted directly as to their view again – I find it unlikely that they would want greater competition for the very hard fought community funding options that exist.
In terms of a capital spend – and if CCC were able to collaborate with MOE and the community – there is a big opportunity to enhance the Shirley Intermediate swimming pool – taking it from an asset that the school cannot afford to maintain and making it a community assets that is supported and maintained by all for all.
Developing a building on site largely driven by a noisy few who are stuck on nostalgia does not make commercial sense and would be a poor use of ratepayer capital.
– #4684: Open space for recreation in the part of Shirley is the greatest need. It could also be an asset for Shirley Primary to utilise.
We do not need another community Hub. Averbury House, Delta, St Albans Community Centre and MacFarlane Park Community Centre provide wonderful meeting places for Shirley and Richmond residents.
– #4908: There is a divide in Shirley of the haves and have nots so much.
Having lives both sides of Shirley most of my life I have found some of the haves to be very unwelcoming.
If there was a community hub on that site they would take over.
– #4915: I believe there are adequate built community spaces.
I previously went to the old Shirley Community Centre for several courses, it was filled with citywide people.
I feel a space for whanau to play and picnic is what is needed in this space, not another building – already spaces in St Albans and Mac Farlane Park.
– #4923: We are certainly blessed in this community with spaces for meeting: Avebury House, McFarlane Park Centre, Delta, Richmond Club, St Albans Community Centre.
– #5401: There is already a good place community hun at Mac farlane park another one is not needed but a recreational space with a bbq area and toddlers pool would be amazing for the community.
– #6822: We already have enough community centres and leaving it how it is, is a waste of a space that can be turned into something amazing.
– #6841, Craig Given: Use the space as something unique for the area – not specifically just replicating what was there before or things that are already been done by others in the area (Shirley Community Trust, Avebury house).