Amberley Concept Development Plan 2005 - Hurunui District Council

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Amberley Draft Concept Development Plan(9) COMMUNITY CENTRE /TOWN HALLThe community involved in the concept planning processfelt that there has long been a need for a modern,community hall in Amberley, with current facilitiesinadequate. It is believed that the demolition of the RSApremises to make way for the new District Library willadd to this even further.The concept for a new multi-use facility refl ects thecommunity’s vision for a vibrant, attractive town centrethat is the social and cultural centre of the community.Participants believe that a new community centre / townhall will form a vital part of the development of the town,by offering a venue that has the flexibility to cater for a widerange of events, from social functions such as weddings,and dinners to performances, conferences and meetings,providing a gathering place for young and old alike to developtheir skills and share their talents with others.It is also felt that such a facility could unlock the potentialof Amberley’s town centre development and contribute toa renewal of ‘sense of community’, both physical and social,supporting community development and providing a focusfor community activities.Community suggestions included:• Building a new facility to the rear of the new libraryor purchase the panel beater’s site• Building a new facility to the rear of the Counciloffi ces.• Relocating the Recycling / Transfer Station facilitiesand building a new facility there.• Upgrade the Pavilion to become the CommunityCentreThe Pavilion is approximately 500sqm and the new Library600sqm, it is envisaged a new facility would need to be of thissize as well.A new building of this size built with today’s dollars wouldbe expected to cost $1.7 million - $2 million. This does notinclude land purchase.The cost to Amberley Ratepayer’s for building costs of$2,000,000 would be $124 per rateable property per yearfor 20 years. In addition operational costs and overheadswould be expected to cost $25-30,000 p/a. This would addan additional $15-20 per year, per rateable property.DECISIONS /IMPLEMENTATIONPLANThe participants at the NovemberPublic Meeting concluded that asmuch as they would like a new facility,that the financial outlay simply couldnot be justifi ed by the current limitedrate-base. The meeting participantsoverwhelmingly agreed that it mademore sense to upgrade the existingfacility (The Pavilion) to incorporatesome of the features desired in anew building, and to ‘shelve’ plans fora new facility until such time that thepopulation became large enough tojustify the cost.Page 34
Amberley Draft Concept Development PlanLOWER PRIORITIESThissection has combined the projects that rankedat less than 2%. In the future as the higher prioritisedprojects are achieved then these lower ranked projectswill be re evaluated:• Public Passenger Transport• Community Liaison / Youth Worker• Festivals & Community Events• Design StandardsPublic Passenger TransportPublic passenger transport is an effective means of travel formany travellers. Where there is a good network of servicespublic passenger transport can offer a cost-effective optionfor many trips.Public passenger transport provides an important socialfunction by improving the ability of those without a privatemotor vehicle to access the services they need. Privatecoaches, buses, shuttles and trains operate public services,thereby forming connections between districts and manyurban areas within the region and to surrounding regions.Outside the main urban areas, community and volunteergroups involved in bus service provision provide a valuablecontribution. Similarly, school buses provide important linksto education services in many areas.Amberley is extremely fortunate to have the services of acommunity bus with its dedicated force of volunteer drivers.Throughout the concept planning process however, it wasidentifi ed that a regular public passenger transport servicewas becomming necessary.Three main reasons were cited:(1) Economic Growth - the development of the townPage 35includes attracting city commuters who will belooking for public passenger transport options(2) Environmental - concerns over the increasednumber of single-occupant vehicles travelling inand out of Christchurch each day and the effectthis fuel consumption and pollution has on theenvironment.(3) Lifestyle - People, particularly young folk, weredisatisfied with a lack of opportunity to attendsocial, cultural and sporting activities in the city,especially evenings and weekends unless usingprivate transport.Environment Canterbury (Ecan), has responsibilities in bothregional land transport and public passenger transport. Itoversees the provision of suburban bus services throughthe Regional Passenger Transport Plan. The purpose of theplan is to provide guidance to Ecan for the provision ofpublic passenger transport services consistent with its goalof supporting the greater use of public passenger transportservices and providing for the needs of the transportdisadvantaged.Ecan currently provide a seven day service from Christchurchto Rangiora which travels via Woodend and Kaiapoi. Thisservice is regularly under review regarding usage V economicviability (particularly weekends).Suggestions included:• Approaching all commercial bus and shuttleoperations that travel through Amberley toChristchurch and investigating options.• Requesting Ecan extend some of its NorthCanterbury services further to include Amberley• Look at utilising the community bus / van as aconnecter to the Woodend or Rangiora services.• Discuss possible rail passenger options with Toll NZ
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Amberley Concept Development Plan 2005 - Hurunui District Council

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