The Star: May 04, 2023

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The Star Thursday May 4 2023 10 NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Frequently flooded streets set • By Tony Simons A LIST OF the 22 streets most hit by surface flooding has been released – and nearly half of them are to be up-zoned to allow medium or high-density housing under the new planning rules. It comes after scientists announced 35 per cent of Christchurch will be inundated by 2100. The list of streets with the worst history of surface flooding was released by the city council. It revealed most of them are near the Avon and Heathcote rivers or on the coast. Nine of the streets are being rezoned to permit higher density developments, despite the city council’s admission it cannot fix the existing flooding problems. The list recommends 13 streets be protected from higher density building because they are in existing coastal or river management areas or at risk from a tsunami. A city council spokesperson said under the new planning rules, which come into force next year, it will not be able to decline an application for higher density buildings on these streets if it is a permitted activity, unless there is insufficient capacity or infrastructure to support it. The street list was released INUNDATED: Tenby Place resident Heidi Oudemans said there are days when residents are unable to leave their properties due to the ongoing flooding in Avondale. Right – Flooding at the intersection of Bellbrook Cres and Emmett St in Shirley. after The Star requested it following an April city council meeting attended by upset residents from Avondale’s Tenby Place Action Group. The group was told flooding in the area may never be practically remedied. And recent studies also show flooding across most of Christchurch will get much worse. Dr John Reid, a senior research fellow at the Ngāi Tahu Centre and expert on land, freshwater, and ocean sustainability, said Christchurch is on a wetland which European settlers drained to develop the city. But now climate change is causing sea levels to rise. “As the sea level rises, so, too, the wetlands will return,” said Reid. “In 80 years’ time, it is predicted that about a third of Ōtautahi Christchurch will be vulnerable to regular flooding. “Low-lying areas of the city – areas that used to be wetlands – are most at risk.” In another recent study, Belinda Storey, a senior research fellow at the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute, who coined the term “insurance retreat”, found homes in the city with a 1 per cent chance of being flooded are expected to find it difficult to get insurance by 2030. “They will seek to transfer the liability back to the policy holder,” she said. “Then when the cost of insuring against flooding gets too great, they may decide PHOTO: RNZ / NIVA CHITTOCK your house is “uninsurable” and will withdraw insurance altogether,” she said. Insurance is a requirement for residential mortgages in New Zealand and failing to maintain insurance can trigger default. An insurer can exit a policy at the next renewal date, whereas a borrower may still have decades before their loans are paid off. A city council staff report has confirmed it is not possible to “fix flooding” and some level of flood risk will always be present in parts of Christchurch, even if investment was significantly increased. “For example, the Flockton St area still has street flooding in larger events, even with $52 million council investment,” said acting head of three waters Brent Smith. Practical, hands-on learning. Flexible ways to study. Small class sizes. Inspirational mentors. Work-based learning opportunities. Support throughout your journey. It’s just a better way of learning. Experience it for yourself at Ara | Te Pūkenga ara.ac.nz
Thursday May 4 2023 The Star Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz NEWS 11 to get higher density housing Areas often underwater The city council list of flood-prone streets RISK: The Heathcote River broke its banks in July. Smith said the city council is yet to develop options to reduce flood risk in all the areas stated in the report or to prioritise them across the city. Smith said there is a list of potential projects but “many of these will not be viable or feasible, given the scale, technical challenges and costs of the work relative to the benefits . . . coupled with council’s resource constraints, including funding constraints”. “It is possible, from an engineering perspective, to significantly reduce flood risk in some ponding-prone streets but it may not be viable to do so,” said Smith. He said the city council intends to prioritise flood mitigation projects. PHOTO: DAVE MCLOUGHLIN “The process will consider the nature of the issues, vulnerability to flooding and the costs, benefits, risks and impacts of potential projects. “The 2024-2034 Long Term Plan will include stormwater and flood management activities. This will go out for public consultation in March next year and be operative in July 2024,” Smith said. • Avon River area Edgeware Rd about Champion St * Edgeware Village * Brenchley Ave * Dudley Creek about Blighs Rd * Philpotts Rd * Flockton St catchment * Newport St Tenby Pl Pages Rd * Owles Tce • Heathcote River area Hendersons Rd * Sparks Rd * Clarendon Tce Richardson Tce Aynsley Tce • New Brighton area Cygnet St Beach Rd Pacific Rd Marine Pde Maces Rd • Sumner area Marriner St Hardwicke St *Streets to be entirely or partly rezoned for higher SWAMPED: The Flockton Basin area is prone to flooding. residential density. A council spokesperson pointed out not all homes in these areas may be vulnerable as the areas may drain rapidly after an event, or have houses that are set above flood levels. •For more information about what increased flooding in Christchurch may mean for you, visit Ōtautahi Christchurch: The Water City? www.tinyurl. com/thewatercity Cut along dotted line the SHIRT Clearance “Bits of This and Bits of That” ALL are very good quality, but leftovers, in assorted brands, ends of lines, dis-continued styles, patterns. Sizes from SM up to 4XL (with limited quantities up to 7XL sizes) Short Sleeve, Long Sleeve plus a few Polo shirts Any Two for $ 80 | Any Three for $ 90 Any Four for $ 100 387 Colombo Street, SYDENHAM (Beside the Cat Café) 10am to 3pm. THURS/FRI/SAT plus MON/TUE/WED
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The Star: May 04, 2023

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