A Christchurch sports club has won the battle to save their field from a new Christchurch City Council development.
Chairman of the Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton community board, Mike Mora. Photo: RNZ / Conan Young
The council wanted to build a new library and recreation sports centre on Denton Park, home of the Hornby Rugby Football Club, but failed to jump over its last hurdle with the local community board voting no to changing the park's reserve classification yesterday.
Hornby Rugby Football Club's Chairperson Lyn Hucklebridge said she was surprised the council chose the site in the first place.
"The traffic congestion around the whole area, should have been one point that made it clear to them this was a most unsuitable site to put such a big facility," she said.
The club would have struggled to keep members if the $35.7 million community centre went ahead, Ms Hucklebridge said.
"They proposed to put the building right outside our windows of the clubrooms so we would have been restricted of seeing out our only one left field that they were going to leave on the park," she said.
Save Denton Park chairman Mark Peters said the group is not opposed to the redevelopment, just the location.
"The location was completely inappropriate and the fact it's heavily used by sports groups already in the community and used widely by the community they just chose the wrong location.
"We're totally behind the facility and really keen and eager to move on and now help the council find the best location for this facility," Mr Peters said.
Mr Peters is confident the facility will still be built in the Hornby area.
"From today, it's very much a case of joining together with council and the community and let's find a site for this facility and get on with building the jolly thing," he said.
Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton community board chairman Mike Mora said its members - who earlier gave the plan the green light - reconsidered following community consultation.
The board will be working closely with the council to find an alternative site in southwest Christchurch for the development.
The Christchurch City Council has said it will start exploring other sites immediately.