Partnership, the key to Lyttelton re-development success.  This Tuesday several representatives from various Lyttelton community groups, including:  Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre; Lyttelton Community Association; Project Lyttelton; and the Lyttelton Harbour Business Association will be presenting their observations to the Lyttelton Mount  Herbert Community Board, to encourage a rethink on how the Christchurch City Council relates to its local residents for the rebuilding of our town.

Whilst the Lyttelton Draft Master Plan process has been a good start in getting Lyttelton to think about how it wants to be in the future; the groups are hoping to influence the Community Board on a new way forward.

Currently we have all been asked what we want for a defined area, and council staff working in with consultants hired by the Christchurch City Council have gone away and drawn up plans. We will then be presented with draft plans which are adjusted via a council hearings process.   The draft plans are then approved, and left in the hands of council staff to oversee and implement.

We will end up with plans that are set in concrete, and plans that we can’t amend.  We are asking for a slightly revised way of doing things.

With a township of passionate people, property owners and skilled people wanting to have an influence on what happens to Lyttelton we will be asking council to consider actual working partnerships with Lyttelton residents and professionals. Many people in the current submission process have volunteered their services for free, just for this purpose. As the council works through all the various issues with the rebuild of Lyttelton we would like all  interested parties to have an opportunity to meet face to face and work through all the issues together - rather than being told this is the outcome and we have to abide by it.

Council is being challenged on all levels for this to happen, as you may have read in The Press on the weekend.  We believe now is the perfect opportunity to try a different way of civic   engagement so that we all have more ownership in the rebuild of our special place.

Residents of the Lyttelton community are encouraged to attend the Community Board meeting on Tuesday at 1.00pm at the Lyttelton Recreation Centre, 25 Winchester Street - if you would like to support your community groups as they present their submissions.