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It has been reported to sumnertoferrymead that neither clocks at Sumners Clock tower or Sumner Surf Club are working. Even the hands on the Scarborough clock have been removed according to our sources.
Surely these are part of Sumners Charm and the community should be taking steps to ensure this part of our heritage is preserved.
Sumner's Clock Tower was completed in 1935 and presented to the Sumner borough Council in 1938.. The foundation stone of the clock tower was laid on 14 Dec. 1934.
Update 16th June 2008
The person at the council who has the responsibility for the CCC owned local
authority clocks has advised that the Surf Life Saving Club Clock will be
repaired ,upgraded and up and running by the 2nd week in July!!
The Tower Clock at the Scarborough end will have new hands fitted and
repainted prior to the end of August and be in full working order.
The hands have been removed for
maintenance due to corrosion, and to repair damage done to the metal by vandals
throwing objects such as balls at them. Any instances of this should be reported
to the council.
Update 15 June 2007
Tim Andrews the franchisee owner of Mitre 10 Ferrymead telling me the company has agreed to take the orange off the wall bordering the Charlesworth Reserve. Great news!
Three cheers for the community on this one!
Update 14 June 2007
Mt Pleasant Ratepayers Association has joined with the Avon Heathcote Estuary Trust to find a solution to this unacceptable intrusion into our local amenity. Yesterday Alex Drysdale (Estuary Trust Chair) and I wrote to the CEO of Mitre 10 requesting a meeting to discuss the colour of the new mega store. Additionally we made a deputation to the Hagley Ferrymead Community Board to ask for 1). their participation and support in any meeting we have with Mitre 10, 2). we asked them to identify a funding source for a substantial tree planting effort along the border of council land and the offending property, 3) we asked them to ensure that the city planners are working on a comprehensive planning solution to prevent this type of thing happening in the future.
At the deputation we discovered that the developer of the site, PD Sloan, owns a strip of land between the building and Charlesworth Reserve which has a conservation covenant on it. In 2003 Sloan successfully objected to colour controls being imposed on his building on the grounds that there were no such rules in the City plan and that sufficient landscaping on the covenanted area would mitigate from any adverse effects from any building backing onto the reserve.
In the four years since he has been granted the change of conditions, Mr Sloan has failed to put in any landscaping on this piece of land. We are awaiting documents from council to see what type of landscaping was accepted by the council panel who heard his objections.
The community board agreed to do all the three things asked of them in our deputation and so we are now waiting to get a response back from Mitre 10 regarding their agreement to meet. If the company declines to meet with us or in the event it meets with us but the outcome is unsatisfactory, we intend to call a community meeting to discuss this matter further with concerned residents.
The Christchurch Press reports 31st May 2007 that the home improvement chain has again upset residents with the bright orange of its Mega store currently being constructed in Ferrymead, repeating objections which occurred in 2006 in Nelson and Dunedin. Residents are using such terms as "Repulsive against the green backdrop", "an Eyesore", "put your sunglasses on", "bright Orange Billboard", "Ghastly", "jarring", "Colour Pollution", "Big Orange Smear". Whatever the terminology such a Building colour scheme is unacceptable offending most residents.
Other buildings in this ferrymead complex have followed the councils request to use muted colours to fit in with the environment. Woolworths Ferrymead a similar sized building a few meters from Mitre 10 is a good example.
A Mitre 10 representitave said that the 5200sqm store had followed all the planning rules and that Orange was part of the corporate colours "and we are proud of them".
The facts are according to Steve McCarthy Manager, Environmental Policy and Approvals, that the Council sought to deal with the matter through the resource consent process and a subsequent appeal to the Environment Court.
The Ferrymead business area is zoned Business 4 in the Council ' s District Plan that allows a mix of industrial use and retail.
When the development of the Mitre 10 land behind the supermarket was put through the resource consent process in 2000, conditions were attached to the Council ' s decision that limited the exterior colours of this building to a combination of dark grey for the lower walls, mid cream for the middle sections, and pale cream for the upper wall areas.
It was the Council ' s preference that the building should blend with the environment as much as possible.Subsequent to that decision, the site owner appealed the condition. At the hearing, legal advice was given that the Council had no discretion to impose limitations on colour as there were no rules relating to exterior finish of buildings in the City Plan.The appeal was therefore successful and the tenant is legally able to add the corporate colours to the building in the same way that the Warehouse, supermarket chains, and other large retailers tend to highlight their presence in Business Zones.
Although it will not change the Mitre 10 building colour, the Council is currently investigating ways to provide better controls over the design and appearance of prominent buildings through the City Plan.
Mitre ten spokesman Peter Stewart said that the company could not change their corporate colours. (a hard statement to understand) He made a comparison to having a Red Shed (The Warehouse) there. Would residents like that colour clash any less ??
Work will soon start on the Heathcote Valley Park development following the granting of resource consents for a waterway and wetland development and the rehabilitation of Woodhill -- the site of the proposed Tamaki Group development.
Darren Moses, who is managing the project for Christchurch City Council, says the waterway and wetland development is an essential feature of the park and work is expected to begin within a month. “Local residents can expect to see some rapid progress on the construction of this scheme, now that the consents are through,” Mr Moses says.
“The council’s plans to rehabilitate the Woodhill site will mitigate health and safety concerns,” he says. “Even if no-one was to build on that site, it would still be remediated as part of our plans for the park.”
The council and the Tamaki Group are eager to begin work on their various
projects as soon as possible, Mr Moses says. “The Tamaki Heritage Experience
forms a key part of the park concept. Now that the council application has been
granted, we can start the rehabilitation work on Woodhill so the Tamaki Group
can get their project under way pending their consent approval.”
The commissioner who heard the Tamaki Group resource consent application is due
to release his decision shortly. Meanwhile, the resource consent application for
the adjacent golf course and driving has been put on hold.
This in depth Cultural experience based around a reconstructed pre-settlement Maori village will be modelled on the lines of Mike and Doug Tamaki’s Rotorua operation, is planned as part of a City Council move to develop the Heathcote Valley Park at Ferrymead.
Old Christchurch and Pa are to open in mid December 2006
Wetlands, sports grounds, reconstruction of the 1907 to 1964 Ferrymead Bridge, and golf driving range are part of the overall plan
http://www.maoriculture.co.nz
Moa Bone Cave
in Redcliffs will be closed to the public perminently, The council will wall in the cave early in 2006 and place new curbing and a new footpath. The present safety barrier has cost the council about 12,000 in hire charges and has kept the public out for the last 18 months. A rock wall will be built sealing the historic cave, tenders will be called for the $100,000 project will be sought in the new year.
Marine Service Station Becomes a workshop only
Sumner's Marine Service Station has the fuel pumps removed from 1st May 2005, the full workshop including warant of fitness remains operating in the blue portion of the building.
Coast to Coast Victim finishes in style
Hit and run victim Graham O'Neil a 27 year old Baker was knocked off his Cycle nearing christchurch during the Coast to Coast multi sport event in February, was given special dispensation by race organiser Robyn Judkins to finish the event on Saturday 30th April 2005. His time of 2024 hours 29 minutes and 59 seconds will be a race record that will not be broken. Serious injuries requiring three months of rehabilitation were overcome when Graham pedaled into Sumner to the cheers of a large supportive crowd of relatives and well wishers
Christchurch Sister City Links to sumnertoferrymead webcam
18 February 2005
The BBC have recently created a website for the county of Dorset in England, Sumner to Ferrymead have agreed to the BBC using this image on their site since Christchurch New Zealand and Christchurch Dorset England have been Twin cities since 1975. The web camera image above is displayed under "webcams" on the BBC site for Dorset at www.bbc.co.uk/dorset. The Dorset site will be launched on BBC Radio and TV about the end of February.
The Cruise Ship season 27 January 2005
Saphire Princess Moored at Cashin Quay Lyttelton 27 January 2005. The largest ship to sail in New Zealand Waters to date, she carries 2500 Passengers, and 1100 staff 220 in the kitchens servicing 5 restuarants. 5 swimming pools 8 spa pools an internet cafe and a night club. She is 18 stories high and 116,000 tonnes
A few days later this was followed by the Cunard Liner QE2 both shown at Cashin Quay Lyttelton.
December 2004
Artist Ginney Deavoll approached the Sumner Surf Club with a view to enhancing the approaches to Sumner. Ginney submitted her design, which was approved by the City Council, and was nearing completion on the 9th November. The Design introduces Visitors to Sumner, the west panel containing cultural aspects of the area; the central panel is a map of the area, and the east panel representing present culture of the area and Items, which are found here.
November 2004
Macrocarpa trees at the edge of the cliff opposite Gollans Point were removed by crane early in November
Sunday the 31st of October 2004
A young fur seal landed on the beach from the pools at Shag rock on Sunday the 31st of October 2004 and was followed by an attentive crowd on its long walk up to Cave Rock where a large crowd gathered.
The Historic Sumner Lodge is moved to Ferrymead
30 November 2003 Vacated prior to the sale 24th Febuary 2004 The front stonework is carefully removed
The Grand Master of the lodge Alister Lamont reports that the lodge will be moved about February 2004 to Ferrymead Historic Park. The stone frontage will be dismantled and reassembled on the new site, where the lodge will continue to meet. At Ferrymead the building will house a display on the work of the lodge. The 30 meter building has stood on the present site under the cliffs in Nayland Street for about 80 years.
The move finaly taking place 28th July 2004, a roadway formed to bring the building to street level. The bulding moved from Nayland street about 10 pm, and took 8 hours to reach ferrymead.
Ferrymead Park Development
The Second (1906 to 1964) Ferrymead Bridge to be Rebuilt.
The Tramway Historical Society is right behind the Council’s proposals for Heathcote Valley Park, says its president Graeme Richardson. The society, which operates the heritage tramway connecting Ferrymead Historic Park with Bridle Path Road, is enthusiastic about the plans for waterways, walkways and sports fields, and the historic Ferry Road Bridge.
"At present, the Society’s
tramline traverses a virtually empty wasteland on one side, with rather untidy
filled land on the other side.. With the Council’s proposals to enhance this
historic part of our city, imagine a few years into the future - a beautifully
landscaped waterway is envisaged with plantings …..no doubt it will become a
wildlife refuge."
"There has also been the suggestion that parts of the Ferry Road Bridge, dating from 1907, should be reconstructed across the proposed new waterway to carry the tramline, "says Mr Richardson. "This adds a real historical feature to the journey by tram."
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