I recently read the below article in your latest March/April 2025 edition:
“Design work begins for Shirley Centre”
Council staff have started the process to design a mixed-use community building for the Shirley Community Reserve at 10 Shirley Road.
Emma Norrish, Jake McLellan and Emma Twaddell will join the Working Party for the project to represent the Waipapa/Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board. Initial surveying works have already started on the site and Geotech consultants been busy.
The Shirley Community Centre (Christchurch’s first community run centre) ran in the former intermediate school building at 10 Shirley Road until the building suffered a similar fate to the St Albans Community Centre in the earthquakes.
Some residents there have been pushing for a replacement but have faced opposition from other groups in Shirley and Richmond also serving the community.
The St Albans Residents Association is helping support the Shirley Centre plan.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yFY1xiHqwLrJAXlWzyhAOEU-ThiFahu7/ Page 8
I wonder St Albans residents, how you would feel if:
– a ‘Residents Association’ from another area,
– engaged with a ‘building company’,
– had meetings to create a ‘new proposal’,
– endorsed by a Councillor from another area,
– for land in your community classified as reserve, vested in the Council by the Crown to be held “in trust for local purpose (site for a community centre)”?
Is this what ‘community led development’ looks like in the communities around Shirley Road?
Is this how we ‘support’ another communities ‘idea’ by creating an opposing ‘new proposal’?
Let’s imagine & rewrite the ‘story’ so far…
To tell this ‘story’, details will be swapped regarding the communities from West/East of Hills Road:
– a local ‘Residents Association’: We are Richmond
– a local Ward ‘Councillor’: Jake McLellan, Councillor for Central Ward
– a local long awaited, many years advocated for ‘Community Facility’: Edgeware Pool
– a local historic section of land, that has been part of this communities identity & memories for many many years: 43A Edgeware Rd, St Albans.
Sidenote: This is a ‘story’ for demonstration purposes only.
Many years ago I randomly ended up at the Annual General Meeting for the St Albans Pavilion and Pool Inc.
I listened to their plans, made some suggestions & have supported their project as a ‘neighbour’.
Many times we have ending up in the public gallery together, as we both presented our verbal submissions to the Christchurch City Council Long Term & Annual Plans.
The ‘story’ starts on the 22nd May 2024, while watching online the Christchurch City Council – Long Term Plan 2024-34 Information Session/Workshop
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/ccc-draft-ltp-2024-34-workshops/
In this ‘story’, ‘Edgeware Pool’ was being discussed.
Staff advice was to “bring back the existing budget for the ‘Edgeware Pool’ in the Long Term Plan.
“Staff are through the Board Chair currently negotiating with a ‘prospective Community Partner’ and a ‘sympathetic Building Company’ to develop this facility in a Community Partnership through the Build and the Operation…
So yes that’s what the [Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community] Board has in mind.
We have a report going to the Waipapa Community Board in early June reflecting that, that’s on the cards and that’s how we’d like to proceed at this point in time…
but it needs community board decision making to ratify that and that’s scheduled for early June.”
What?!? Who?!? Why?!?
So I sent an LGOIMA request to the Christchurch City Council asking for answers.
– What happened to the long awaited ‘Feasibility Study’?
– Where was the feedback report from the last ‘Consultation’ in 2023?
– Why has the Waipapa Community Board made a predetermined decision based on an unsolicited proposal?
In this ‘story’, I messaged the ‘St Albans Pavilion and Pool Inc’ members to let them know & was told:
“Cancel your LGOIMA request, it was us. Sorry we forgot to tell you.”
They (residents from the east of Hills Road, in this ‘story’ a few ‘We are Richmond’ members are also members of ‘St Albans Pavilion and Pool Inc’) were the ‘prospective Community Partner’.
They had approached the ‘sympathetic Building Company’ & involved a Councillor from another Ward, in this ‘story’: Jake McLellan, Councillor for Central Ward.
Their ‘proposal’ for the land at 43A Edgeware Rd, St Albans would be a ‘Community Facility’ that is the opposite of ‘St Albans Pavilion and Pool Inc’ constitution…
‘Shirley Road Central’ Constitution: To support the development of a community hub including a modern library, and meeting rooms on the site at 10 Shirley Road for the use of the surrounding communities.
This group was created to bring together residents in the suburbs around Shirley Road to be a combined voice advocating for a new building at Shirley Community Reserve, that would benefit all the residents in these suburbs.
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/shirley-road-central-group/
The ‘story’ continues on the 13th June 2024 at the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board Meeting
https://christchurch.infocouncil.biz/Open/2024/06/PCBCC_20240613_MIN_9127_AT.PDF
There were four deputations regarding Item 9 in this ‘story’, ‘Edgeware Pool’: Proposed Community Facility.
My deputation was the only one that did not support the Staff Recommendations, aka the ‘prospective Community Partner’ and a ‘sympathetic Building Company’ new proposal.
If you were unaware of this ‘proposal’, you wouldn’t have realised that the Board had already made a decision on the ‘Proposed Community Facility’, before this meeting.
The Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board resolved:
3. Request that staff initiate the process to design an ‘on budget community building’ on Shirley Community Reserve that will enable a mixed use of the Reserve and support recreation, play and social connections.
This is subject to Council bringing back the budget for the facility to financial years 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27 in the 2024/34 LTP.
4. Requests that staff identify an appropriate community partner/ operator to progress the development of the community facility at Shirley Community Reserve and report this back to the Board.
Pages 29-39, CCC Staff Report
Pages 40-41, CCC Staff Memo
Pages 42-81, Shirley Community Reserve Feasibility Study 2023
Pages 82-102 Shirley Road Central, ‘Where is our Community Centre’ Petition* May 2021
(over 1,200 signatures in total, *paper petition with 600+ signatures not included)
Page 103, Letter of Support from Dr Duncan Webb, MP for Christchurch Central
Page 104, Letter of Support from Hon Poto Williams, MP for Christchurch East
Pages 105-135, 2023 Consultation Feedback
Pages 136-140, Shirley Community Reserve Feasibility Study 2023 Supplementary Info
https://christchurch.infocouncil.biz/Open/2024/06/PCBCC_20240613_AGN_9127_AT.PDF
So now you know the history behind this ‘story’, back to the St Albans News article:
“Some residents there have been pushing for a replacement but have faced opposition from other groups in Shirley and Richmond also serving the community.”
As I said in my deputation, this ‘proposal’ is insensitive and insulting to the existing community centres & facilities already established in Shirley and Richmond.
“Other groups in Shirley and Richmond” haven’t supported a replacement ‘traditional’ community centre, as funding is already stretched to support all the existing community centres & facilities around Shirley Road.
– North of Shirley Road, we have the MacFarlane Park Centres, Rhombus & MacFarlane Park Community Garden
– South of Shirley Road, we have North Avon Community Centre, Delta, Richmond Cottage, Avebury House, Richmond Community Gardens & Riverlution Eco Hub
– West of Shirley Road, we have St Albans Community Centre & Community Garden, plus The Whānau Centre
– East of Shirley Road, we have Avon Hub & opening soon: All Saints Church & Community Centre
https://www.allsaintsburwood.nz/community-facility-fit-out
There is no need for another ‘traditional’ community centre at Shirley Community Reserve.
But there is support for a ‘contemporary’ community centre, Citizen Hub:
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/community-hub-support/
“The St Albans Residents Association is helping support the Shirley Centre plan.”
“…helping support”? No.
“…the Shirley Centre”? No.
The ‘Shirley Centre’ idea is not the community facility that has been proposed by the ‘prospective Community Partner’ and a ‘sympathetic Building Company’.
Since 2018, the ‘Shirley Centre’ idea has been to:
– relocate the Shirley Library to Shirley Road,
– add learning spaces &
– meeting rooms,
– with a new inclusive accessible playground,
located at 10 Shirley Road, Shirley Community Reserve.
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/shirley-what/
https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/shirley-centre-overview/
So my question to St Albans residents after reading this…
How would you feel?
– if your ‘Edgeware Pool’ project was our ‘Shirley Centre’ idea?
Residents & Councillor from another suburb/ward telling you what you should put on the land in your area?
– if you were told that your replacement “on budget” facility would be 400m2, instead of 1500m2, only 26.67% of the original facility?
– if you were told the Board supported a new proposal (that is the opposite of your group’s constitution), presented by their preferred ‘prospective Community Partner’ (members of your group that was set up to bring residents in the different suburbs together)?
The Christchurch City Council Draft Annual Plan for 2025/26 is now out for consultation from the 26th February – 28th March 2025.
https://letstalk.ccc.govt.nz/annualplan
My submission is simple:
I do not support the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board’s decision to design/build: an ‘on budget community building’ with their ‘prospective Community Partner’, on Shirley Community Reserve that will enable a mixed use of the Reserve and support recreation, play and social connections.
This land is classified as reserve, vested in the Council by the Crown to be held “in trust for local purpose (site for a community centre)”.
I would appreciate your support.
Thanks,
Joanna Gould
Shirley/Richmond resident since 2008
P.S. I am currently writing my own Feasibility Study & Business Case for a new ‘Shirley Centre’ facility at Shirley Community Reserve.
These will be presented to the Christchurch City Council as part of my submission for the 2025 Annual Plan & uploaded to this page soon: https://www.10shirleyroad.org.nz/shirley-centre-report/