More car parking for Sumner Village

A car park that will serve Sumner’s new library, community centre and museum is on track for completion in August.

Work on the Sumner car park, which is near Matuku Takatako: Sumner Centre on the corner of Wakefield Ave and Nayland St, began on July 3 and the project will take about seven weeks. 

Work is underway on the Sumner car park.

The centre and car park are key elements of the Sumner Village Master Plan which was developed after the 2010-2011 earthquakes.

The new car park will provide 20 new parking spaces and Council Community Facilities Project Manager Jon Malis said it would help relieve pressure in the area, providing off-street parking for the village as a whole.

“It’s very central to the village, so during the day it will provide parking for Matuku Takotako: Sumner Centre but in the evening it will help meet demand for local restaurants and the Hollywood Theatre which is close-by.”

The car park has been designed with high quality landscaping and a rain garden. The rain garden feature allows storm water run-off to form a natural pond that helps filter oils and other pollutants from the water before it goes into the ocean.

Totara trees and other native plants will be planted in the gardens. The carpark will also have low light polluting fixtures.

Work on Matuku Takotako: Sumner Centre began last July and an official opening is scheduled for mid August, with the fit-out currently underway. Photos of the construction can be seen on the Christchurch City Libraries website. The car park should be finished slightly earlier. 

The centre's design draws inspiration from the local landscape, incorporating natural timber and architectural features from the demolished Sumner Community Centre and Museum, which was on the site along with a library before the earthquakes.

The name Matuku Takotako, which is the original Ngāi Tahu name for Sumner Beach, was decided in a competition run in consultation with local runanga.

The Council is contributing a total of $10 million towards the facility which is being completed as part of the Facilities Rebuild Programme. In December 2015, Sumner Redcliffs Historical Society announced it would contribute $50,000 towards construction of the museum.