An aspirational plan for the growth of Greater Christchurch will fail unless improving transport choices is at its core, submitters say.
Fiona Bennett, a Christchurch resident who spoke to the Greater Christchurch’s spatial plan hearing panel on Thursday, said the city needed to grow “up, not out”. “We need to protect our natural spaces, not build all over them,” she said.
The plan as a whole is about figuring out how Christchurch and nearby towns can cope with an expected 40% population increase by 2030. Greater Christchurch’s urban growth committee wants to figure out how to meet future housing demand, while connecting future residents to amenities, protecting the environment and reducing carbon emissions.
The Greater Christchurch Partnership group (made up of local and central government and mana whenua representatives) expects a mass rapid transit system will be built by 2030 to move the estimated 700,000 residents around, absolving them of a reliance on private vehicles.
