We’re upgrading Woolston Village and part of Ferry Road. This will make the village a safer and more attractive place to walk, bike and drive. We’re renewing underground wastewater pipes at the same time to minimise disruption to the public.

Artists impression of Ferry Road looking south east

Artists impression of Ferry Road looking south east

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We’re upgrading Woolston Village and Ferry Road from Portman Street to St Anne’s School. Work will start from 20 July 2020.

There’s a lot of work to do above and below the ground on Ferry Road through Woolston Village. The underground pipes are almost 100 years old and need replacing, and the road above needs reshaping and resurfacing.

The village upgrade includes new footpaths and bike lanes, trees and plants, additional street furniture and new parking areas for cars and bikes. 

Everything will remain open along Ferry Road and you’ll see signs showing you how to access the shops and where to park. This work is an important part of the Ferry Road Master Plan(external link).

Read our latest newsletter for more news on this project.(external link)

Contact us on 03 941 8999, 0800 800 169 or email woolstonvillage@ccc.govt.nz for more information. 

Our contractor Citycare will lead the Woolston Village upgrade

Woolston Village upgrade: Portman Street to St Anne’s School

Appointing a contractor

December 2019 - June 2020

In December, we invited construction companies to submit proposals to lead this work.  

We have now appointed Citycare Ltd as the lead contractor for the Woolston Village streetscape and sewer renewal works.

 

Meet the contractor

7 July 2020

We're holding a ‘Meet the contractor’ session at the Woolston Community Library (main hall) at 5.30pm on Tuesday 7 July to introduce the project team to the local community. Everyone is welcome to come along.

Works start

20 July 2020

Citycare plan to start work on Monday 20 July, starting work at the corner of St Johns Street and working down towards Maronan Street. 
First we'll dig a trench to access and replace the wastewater pipes first, then reconstruct the road over the top. Two-way traffic will be maintained at all times during these works, and right turn restrictions will be in place from side streets turning into Ferry Road. This section of work is expected to run until mid-October. 

New trees and plants, new footpaths, additional street furniture and car parking.

The village upgrade includes new footpaths and bike lanes, trees and plants, additional street furniture and new parking areas for cars and bikes. 

Key features 

A place for walking

  • Wider footpaths and improved crossing facilities in the village
  • Two signal-controlled crossings outside the community library and St Johns Church
  • Three upgraded crossings with pedestrian refuges and handrails
  • Upgraded street lighting

A place to park

  • 55 on-street car park spaces on this section of Ferry Road (this is a reduction from 69 existing car parks and an increase from 21 in the previous plan)
  • 32 off-street public car park spaces behind the library with improved pedestrian access and signage to direct vehicles 
  • Time-restricted parking to allow for higher turnover

Catching the bus

  • Two pairs of bus stops in the village located next to the two signal-controlled crossing points
  • Two new bus stops in central Woolston replace those at Portman Street 
  • The bus stop outside St Johns Church moved to 729 Ferry Road
  • The bus stops near the corner of Catherine Street moved slightly to the east
  • Passengers waiting for the bus outside the library can use the covered area, and we are proposing purpose-built shelters for all other stops

Going by bike

  • Wider cycle lanes through the village
  • Over 30 cycle parking stands spread throughout the village
  • The signal-controlled crossing outside St Johns Church allows people on bikes to cross safely to reach the church and school, and link the major cycle routes to the north and south.

Lower speed limit

The speed limit will be lowered to 30km/h on Ferry Road between Portman Street and St Anne’s School. This will:

  • help make the village safer for all road users and pedestrians
  • make drivers aware they are entering a village environment

We will also be lowering the speed limit to 40km/h on Catherine Street, Maronan Street, Oak Street, Heathcote Street, Glenroy Street and a section of St Johns Street.

Parking on Ferry Road is being removed to allow space for the new road layout and wastewater upgrade.

More free public parking is available in the upgraded Council parking facilities off Portman Street. While we're working on Portman Street, you can access the public parking from Ferry Road.

On-street parking is also available off Glenroy Street and there's a temporary walkway connecting Glenroy Street to the community library and Ferry Road shops.

Stay up to date with the latest news and updates on the Woolston Village Upgrade.

Read the latest Start Work Notice.(external link) 

We also send out regular newsletters about the project. 

If you would like to receive these newsletters, please email WoolstonVillage@ccc.govt.nz

You can also read more about the Woolston Village upgrade on Newsline.(external link)

Frequently asked questions about the upgrade

What is happening?
We’re upgrading Woolston Village and part of Ferry Road from Portman Street to St Anne’s School. The upgrade will enhance the look and feel of the village and include new trees and plants, new footpaths, additional street furniture and parking spots for cars and bikes.

We’re also upgrading the wastewater pipeline under Ferry Road at the same time to reduce the impact to the public.

When is this happening?
Work started in late July 2020 and is expected to take nine months to complete. We expect the project to be finished in March 2021, with the bulk of the planting and landscaping scheduled for winter 2021. 

We will shut the site down for four weeks over Christmas and leave the site safe and tidy to encourage Christmas trading (7 December 2020 to 7 January 2021).

Why is this happening?
This upgrade will help make the village a safer and more attractive place to walk, bike and drive. The underground pipes are almost 100 years old and need replacing, and the road above needs reshaping and resurfacing.

Who is the contractor?
This is a Council project. We’ve appointed Citycare as the lead contractor on the Woolston Village upgrade works.

How noisy is this going to be?
Parts of this work will be noisy. There will some noise coming from trucks, heavy machinery and workers along the road to as we dig up the road and install the water pipeline and upgrade the road and surrounding village area.

We will provide plenty of notice around this at the time.

Where can I park my car?
There will be no on-street parking along Ferry Road through Woolston Village from Portmans Street to St Anne’s School while this work is happening.

If you usually park on the road, we recommend parking down a nearby side street, such as Glenroy Street, or try the Council-owned car park off Portman Street. Check out our parking map(external link).

Where have the bus stops moved to, and where will they be when you’ve finished?
Stop 15303 (outside St Johns Church) has been temporarily moved. The closest bus stop is now stop 15744, on the other side of the Palinurus Road/Rutherford Street intersection, outside number 787 Ferry Road.

A temporary stop was initially trialled outside St Anne’s School, but cars kept parking in it. When reinstated, stop 15303 will be outside 733B Ferry Road.

Stop 15582 (outside the Holy Smoke building) will remain where it is but is temporarily closed because there is no room for buses to stop next to our work site. The closest stop is now stop 43418, outside number 682 Ferry Road.

How can I keep up to date with what’s going on?
There’s a number of ways you can keep informed. You can sign up to a regular newsletter(external link) or check our website for updates. If you live in the area, we’ll also deliver regular updates and door-knock businesses and residents before work starts.

Why aren’t you doing the works the way you said you would?
Unfortunately, the nature of working beneath the ground is that unexpected things often happen and occasionally things go wrong. Fortunately for (most) civil engineers, this complexity is one of the things they enjoy about their work.

When unexpected things happen, we need to keep our teams working. This is why work may stop in one area and start in another. We'll do our best to let you know what's happening and how it may impact your business.

How are you replacing the sewer pipe under Ferry Road?
We're using a technology called spiral lining to renew the wastewater pipes under some of the busiest section of Ferry Road. This is much less invasive than the traditional method of trenching (digging up the road) to replace the pipes.

We'll still need to trench some sections, but where possible, we'll line the pipes to minimise disruption to businesses and residents.

Holiday shut-down period 
Contractors will hit pause on the Woolston Village upgrade works roadworks for four weeks starting from the beginning of December.

The pause which will run from Friday 4 December until Monday 4 January is planned to allow Woolston retailers a roadworks-free build-up to Christmas. We’ll stop work, tidy up our work areas and make them safe for the holiday period

Additional information for business owners

Can these works be delayed, we've already been hit hard by COVID 19?
The wastewater pipes under this road have reached the end of their life and need to be replaced urgently. The road surface has also deteriorated and needs to be repaired.

Combining the two projects at this time means we can complete this important work quickly with minimal disruption for businesses and residents.

What is Council doing to support local businesses?
We understand that parts of these works will be disruptive to local businesses and will be taking steps to make things as easy as possible.  Part of the project includes a campaign to encourage people to “shop local” and support their local businesses during the upgrade.

You may have seen our ‘Love Woolston, Shop Local’ advertisements and posters on social media, community newspapers and on billboards along busy routes.

Love Woolston, Shop Local
You may have also seen some ‘Open for Business’ and ‘Love Woolston, Shop Local’ posters hanging in shop windows around the village. If you would like some, you can either print them off from our website (external link)or contact Haidee to have some dropped off.

What financial support is available to my business?
ChristchurchNZ, the city’s economic development agency, is working in partnership with Canterbury Employer’s Chamber of Commerce to provide COVID-19 response services via the Government’s Regional Business Partner (RBP) network.

Through the RBP, business owners can access up to $5,000 per business from the Government’s COVID-19 Business Advisory Fund. For more information, visit their webpage(external link) or phone 0800 505 096.

Why are there so many cones and why have you put them right in front of businesses, restricting their parking?
Sometimes the way our cones and fences are set up doesn’t seem to make sense – especially when cones are blocking off much-needed business car parking.

However, we do it this way because we must abide by the legal requirements for using temporary traffic management, set out in the Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (CoPTTM). These requirements are in place to keep all road users and workers safe.

Can I have a parking sign for my business?
We've had a few businesses ask us for signage to direct people to their private parking. We prefer to direct people to the free public parking behind the community library, which can be accessed from Ferry Road and Portman Street, or to off-street parking on Glenroy Street, where they can access the shops via a temporary walkway.

This is so we don't clutter up the street with multiple parking signs, which could be confusing to drivers. We must also abide by the legal requirements for using temporary traffic management, set out in the Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (CoPTTM), to keep all road users and workers safe.

Read the results of the Council consultation on the 2016 and 2018 Woolston village centre improvements.

On 14 March 2019 the Council decided to approve the recommendation of the Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board to accept the final staff plan for the Woolston village centre improvements proposal, without change.

For more details, you can read the results of consultation.(external link)

If you would like some, you can print them off here.

You may have also seen some ‘Open for Business’ and ‘Love Woolston, Shop Local’ posters hanging in shop windows around the village. If you would like some, you can print them off here. A3 posters [PDF, 99 KB]