City Centre: September 19, 2017

5
seek | find | indulge
CITY CENTRE
m ore C ar parks
to meet demand
in the C entral C ity
Christchurch City Council transport operations
manager Aaron Haymes outside the new Lichfield
Street car park building
Spring is in the air and with it comes
the opening of the Lichfield St car park.
The car park is expected to open late
October, offering 804 new car parks,
including 24 disability parking spaces
and 10 charging parks for electric
vehicles. Further electric charging bays
can be added in the future as more
people convert to electric vehicles.
New technology will help drivers
easily locate car parks with electronic
signage using green and red lights to
show car park availability.
Transport operations manager Aaron
Haymes says the Lichfield St car park
will provide easy connections to
Ballantynes, the Guthrey Centre and
City Mall.
“There are more lifts and pay stations
than the former car park building and
the ground floor will host a range of
hospitality and retail businesses. Drivers
will be able to benefit from the new
car park location technology, helping
them to quickly and easily locate a park
before taking a leisurely stroll through
the ground floor shopping precinct.”
The opening of this car park comes at
a time when parking in the central city is
increasing in demand.
An analysis of council-managed sites
in the period of May to July in 2016 and
Freshly roasted coffee draws customers to city cafe
Many of Christchurch’s discerning coffee
drinkers will by now have discovered the
Magnitude Café & Roastery in Tuam Street.
Established in June 2016, Magnitude offers
excellent coffee freshly roasted on the
premises and brewed by their three expert
baristas, as well as a choice selection of
delicious café-style food, made on the
premises, for lunch and morning and
afternoon teas.
In addition to freshly made sandwiches,
wraps and sweet treats, the menu features
delicious hot potatoes, which are baked in
a King Edward original potato baker and
served with a choice of herbs.
The café itself has an interesting pedigree.
It was the brainchild of David Humphrey,
the previous owner of Dunedin’s iconic
coffee house, Stewarts, which was
~
Come in
for a
coffee
~
2017 shows sites providing for all-day
commuter parking have high occupancy
rates and short-stay dedicated sites
are also indicating a steadily growing
occupancy.
Several new central city car parking
buildings have opened this year
including the West End, The Crossing
and the Hereford St car park, adding to
the supply of both short and long-term
parking sites.
Changes are also coming this spring
to the council’s on-street metered
parking with a move from a pay and
display system to pay by plate system.
“We need to upgrade the parking meter
system to bring it up to international
security standards. The pay by plate
system will allow us to take advantage
of new technology to manage parking
and provide a quicker, more efficient
system for drivers,” Mr Haymes says.
“The pay by plate system means you
will no longer need to return to your car
to place a paper ticket on the dashboard
after paying for your parking. Just
enter your licence plate number into
the machine, make your payment and
you’re away. Payment can be made by
coin, card (including contactless cards)
or by text to pay.”
established by the late Tom Stewart in 1956.
An RAF Pilot, Tom flew Lancaster bombers
in the famous Dam Buster Squadron 617.
Having been shot down over Germany and
taken prisoner of war, he was repatriated
back to Dunedin where, with friends and
his English-born bride, talked about the
wonderful coffee houses, commonly called
the ‘penny universities’, which they had
frequently visited in England.
The suggestion arose that Tom should open
one here in New Zealand, and so in 1956
Stewarts Coffee House in Dunedin was
born. It was the first of many.
In 1975, Tom retired and sold the coffee
house to David, who continued the
established tradition of roasting coffee
beans on the premises. David also saw the
opportunity to supply top-quality, freshly
MAGNITUDE COFFEE
• By October the council will manage 3023 paid central city car parks,
including 1194 off-street spaces. Private sector manages 7204 off-street
car parks (including parking facilities).
• Occupancy in council-managed off-street car parking measured over a
three-month period has increased significantly from 2016 to 2017.
• The pay by plate system will save 1.5 million tickets or 800 kg of
paper annually from entering the Christchurch waste stream and littering
streets.
roasted coffee to other establishments, and
soon had a large clientele of discerning
cafes and restaurants buying his coffee.
After selling the business in 2008, he found
he had time on his hands and he missed the
people he had been dealing with. So he
bought a building in Tuam St, Christchurch,
fitted it out as a roastery and cafe, found a
suitable name, Magnitude, and established
what today is a destination cafe providing
what many agree is the best and freshest
coffee available. David's son-in-law, Gerard
van Rooy, learnt to roast coffee whilst
working for Stewarts and is an expert in
obtaining perfection.
Apart from enjoying a cup on the premises,
many customers buy coffee to take away
and enjoy at home or in the office.
ADVERTISEMENT
Magnitude Café & Roastery is located
at Unit 2, 314 Tuam St and is open
7am-4pm, Monday to Friday.
Samantha Larsen, left, Gerard van Rooy and
Charlotte Mitchell beside the café’s coffee roaster.
The blackboard menu offers a
range of food and drinks.
~
Stay for
the food
~
One of the café’s tasty breakfast
items, Eggs Florentine.
The paninis are packed with
delicious fillings.
~
Enjoy the
atmosphere
~
Unit 2, 314 Tuam Street
Open Monday to Friday, 7am - 4pm
Phone 366 0351
www.canterburyrefreshments.co.nz