Avon Park redevelopment

We’re proposing a comprehensive redevelopment of Avon Park and the surrounding pockets of regeneration area between 740 Avonside Dr and Kerrs Rd to incorporate the City to Sea Pathway, improve local ecology and upgrade the current recreational facilities.

Consultation has now closed

Consultation on Avon Park redevelopment has now closed. People were able to provide feedback from 10 February to 10 March 2023.

During this time 112 groups and individuals made submissions on the Avon Park redevelopment, and 111 submitted on the legal road stopping. You can read their feedback [PDF, 2.8 MB] and staff responses to key issues and questions raised by submitters on the proposed Avon Park redevelopment [PDF, 57 KB] and the partial road stopping  [PDF, 70 KB]of Avonside Drive. You can find out how this influenced the decisions of the Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood community board(external link). 

Community board decisions 

The board approved the plans to revamp the existing facilities on the upper terrace of Avon Park and transform the lower terrace into a naturalised wetland. Construction of the area is expected to start next summer, and is estimated to be completed by mid 2025.

Have a look at the approved concept plan for Avon Park. [PDF, 21 MB]  

The Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood community board also recommended that the full Council instructs staff to begin the formal road-stopping process for Avonside Drive between Kerrs Road and Wainoni Road, and change the section of road between 144 Kerrs Road and Kerrs Reach into a parks’ access road.

As part of the recommendation, traffic-calming measures will be made to Torlesse Street, Braemar Place and Kerrs Road north of Wainoni Road, and traffic counters installed on Torlesse Street to measure if the changes result in significant traffic increases on the local road.

The Council will consider the road-stopping proposal in the coming months.

 Why we’re doing it

This project sits within the Community Spaces and Landings portion of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor budget, which has a total allocation of $33.4m. The Christchurch Earthquake Appeals Trust (CEAT) is funding the upper terrace portion.

The Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Area (OARC) is a 602-hectare open space that stretches from Barbadoes Street to the Bexley wetland. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform this land into a legacy that benefits future generations.  

We’re proposing a comprehensive redevelopment of Avon Park and the surrounding pockets of regeneration area between 740 Avonside Drive and Kerrs Road, to incorporate the City to Sea Pathway, improve local ecology and upgrade the current recreational facilities.

We’re in the process of formally stopping this section of Avonside Drive so we can transform the low-lying land – including the lower terrace of Avon Park – into a naturalised wetland area.

This could include a secondary river overflow channel in the lower terrace of the park to create an island refuge for wildlife, a bird hide similar to Travis Wetland, or viewing tower.

Nearby, the new Snell Place footbridge crosses the Ōtākaro Avon River and will form part of the City to Sea Pathway.

Footpaths will connect the park to the Pathway, which crosses Avon Park between the higher terrace and the newly established wetland. Car-parking will be provided nearby.

We’re proposing a range of new facilities for Avon Park, including nature-play areas, community forage gardens and an area for cultural games.

We want to renew the existing basketball half-court and redesign the southern field to make it more flexible for informal use.

We’re working with local football and athletics clubs who currently use Avon Park for training, to find them a new permanent location before construction begins.

Whitau School has a temporary lease of the western regeneration area, which expires before work commences. We’re involving the school in our design of this area.

Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust and Kainga Ora both own properties that border Avon Park and have developments planned in the coming years. We’re working with both organisations to ensure these developments and the park are designed to provide the best outcomes for everyone.

We are also considering formally stopping Avonside Drive between Kerrs Road and Wainoni Road. Stopping and eventually closing this eastern section of Avonside Drive will improve the safety of recreational users in the OARC, as well as making provisions to ecologically restore that area in the future. Access to Kerrs Road between 144 Kerrs Road and Kerrs Reach (where it passes through the regeneration area) will also be limited to daylight hours.

Avon Park and proposed road stopping plans

Spatial principles

Redevelopment plan

Character zones

Play elements

Active zone planted character

Community and river zone section (1)

Community and river zone section (2)

River and calm zone section

Avonside Drive proposed road stopping

Following consultation, we will finalise concept designs for this area and present them to the Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood Community Board for approval of the upper section. The lower terrace will require approval from the OARC Co-Governance sub-committee. The proposed road stopping requires approval from Council.