Western News: April 09, 2019
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10 Tuesday <strong>April</strong> 9 <strong>2019</strong><br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
<strong>News</strong><br />
• By Georgia O’Connor-Harding<br />
HALSWELL residents<br />
living with disabilities want<br />
to see improvements made<br />
to the suburb’s transport<br />
infrastructure.<br />
Surveys undertaken by the<br />
Halswell Community Project<br />
and city council have identified<br />
a need for improvement in the<br />
suburb’s infrastructure.<br />
A report<br />
released to<br />
<strong>Western</strong><br />
<strong>News</strong> showed<br />
residents living<br />
with disabilities<br />
had concerns<br />
over speeding<br />
traffic, a lack<br />
of controlled<br />
crossings, large<br />
curbs and a need for smoother<br />
footpaths. It also found there was<br />
a general desire for more disabled<br />
toilets in the area.<br />
Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton<br />
Community Board member Ross<br />
McFarlane said it is about finding<br />
a happy balance of what footpaths<br />
are functioning now and<br />
what is due for a replacement.<br />
“We’d all like footpaths paved<br />
with gold but the fact is just in<br />
the present financial situation<br />
. . . let’s face it we have still got<br />
a lot of earthquake damage,” he<br />
INDEPENDENT LIVING: St John of God Halswell is one of many organisations in the suburb<br />
providing care to people with disabilities. It has joined the tiny house movement to provide more<br />
housing for people with physical disabilities. <br />
said. But Mr McFarlane said it<br />
was an excellent survey.<br />
St John of God Halswell<br />
resident Josh Caldwell, who was<br />
diagnosed with rare auto-immune<br />
disease transverse myelitis,<br />
said the footpaths need to be addressed<br />
as they are challenging.<br />
“It is kind of citywide though<br />
. . . I think Halswell is pretty<br />
good compared to the rest of the<br />
city,” he said.<br />
Two surveys were undertaken<br />
due to the high number of organisations<br />
working with people<br />
with disabilities and an information<br />
gap identified during a community<br />
planning session.<br />
One survey covered accessibility<br />
to community facilities<br />
while the other allowed the<br />
opportunity to give feedback on<br />
what made the suburb a good<br />
place to live.<br />
It showed people with intellectual<br />
disabilities liked living in<br />
Halswell because of the slightly<br />
rural feel, having accessible<br />
facilities and it is close to other<br />
areas.<br />
The survey was originally<br />
undertaken due to the high<br />
number of organisations<br />
working with people with<br />
disabilities and an information<br />
gap identified during a<br />
Local<br />
<strong>News</strong><br />
Now<br />
Call for transport infrastructure improvements<br />
Ross<br />
McFarlane<br />
WESTERN NEWS<br />
Fire rages, homes at risk<br />
community planning session.<br />
Halswell has a large number<br />
of organisations working with<br />
people the disabled including<br />
Halswell Residential College, St<br />
John of God Hauora Trust and<br />
Halswell Men’s Shed.<br />
Thirty-eight individuals<br />
responded ranging in ages from<br />
10 to 82.<br />
The report also showed there<br />
was a demand for further recreational<br />
activities and Zumba<br />
for people living with disabilities<br />
was recommended.<br />
Other recommendations<br />
were for more outdoor lighting<br />
around car parks and walkways.<br />
City council’s head of community<br />
sport, governance and<br />
partnerships John Filsell said it<br />
will use the survey to work with<br />
disability organisations and<br />
community groups to assist in<br />
projects that benefit people with<br />
disabilities.<br />
Halswell Community Project<br />
chairwoman Chrys Horn said<br />
it was a good survey which<br />
highlighted the needs of a group<br />
the community doesn’t hear<br />
from often.<br />
•HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you<br />
think Halswell has adequate<br />
facilities for those living<br />
with disabilities? Email your<br />
views to georgia.oconnor@<br />
starmedia.kiwi<br />
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