News in brief from the Council meeting

A section of the earthquake twisted Medway Street bridge will be incorporated into a new mini-golf course in the East Frame.

The twisted bridge has been in storage since it was removed in three pieces in 2013 for safety reasons but today Christchurch City Council voted to allow Gap Filler and the Serious Fun Partnership to temporarily use one section of the bridge in the heritage-themed 18-hole mini golf course they are creating on the corner of Madras and Armagh streets.

Community leaders have expressed a desire to see the bridge used as a commemorative structure once the long-term designs for the Medway Street area have been decided. Gap Filler and Serious Fun Partnership are being allowed to use one section of the bridge on the conditions any modifications are only minor and will not prevent the structure being re-attached to other sections of the bridge at a later date.

At its meeting today the Council also voted to urgently investigate, in collaboration with Regenerate Christchurch and community stakeholders, options for a transitional structure using another piece of the bridge, at its original Medway Street location. 

Scheme design approved

The Council has approved the An Accessible City scheme design for Hospital Corner and the ‘Oxford Gap’ – the section of Oxford Terrace that runs from the Riccarton Avenue, Hagley Avenue, Tuam Street corner, east to Antigua Street.

The Oxford Gap design separates active and motorised modes removing any drop off pick-up conflict between motor vehicles and cyclists. The design provides a shared path and a pedestrian path separated from cyclists by landscaping and seating. The shared path will meet the current cycle and pedestrian demand and the predicted increase in cycle and pedestrian volumes for this area.