Christchurch residents with homes prone to flooding from the Heathcote River are welcoming council measures to protect their properties.
Flooding along the Heathcote River in August this year. Photo: RNZ / Logan Church
The area regularly floods during heavy rain, with the most recent event in July flooding 13 homes.
Today the council was presented with a petition signed by 300 residents, with one resident telling the meeting that people in the area live in fear of heavy rain.
Some residents told the council the river had consistently flooded since the Canterbury earthquakes.
They have previously accused the council of years of inaction.
The councillors voted unanimously to implement the $72 million Flood Protection Plan.
It includes dredging, continuing to build four stormwater basins, investigating building low-level stock banks.
It would also allow the council to buy at-risk properties: an estimated 35 homes in the worst-hit areas.
Christchurch resident Sheena Sherratt has had her home flooded three times and said she was relieved a plan was in place to help protect them.
"We love living next to the Heathcote - we love the people, we love the dogs, all of those things are great - but it's a pretty hideous feeling when you hear the rain on the roof and you wonder, 'Do we shift the car, or not.'"
Council staff believe most of the work can be completed by 2021.