Friday, June 28, 2019
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
Ashburton’s East Street water feature will soon be on the move to the Ashburton Domain. PHOTO JAIME PITT-MCKAY 270619-JP-0085
Taking on the Aussies P32
CBD fountain moving on By Sue Newman
sue.n@theguardian.co.nz
Ready to race MOTORING
For more than 25 years a water sculpture has taken pride of place on Ashburton’s East Street green, but within two years it will be gone, relocated to a new home in the Ashburton Domain As plans firm up for the redevelopment and revitalisation of Ashburton’s town centre, both the water feature and the information centre building have been found wanting, they do not fit into the new streetscape plans that will give the CBD a more modern, spacious look. Rather than a green where both the water feature and information building disrupt pedestrian and cycle flows, the new-look town centre will be about creating open and useful spaces with clear pedestrian and cycle pathways. But when plans to move the water fea-
ture were discussed yesterday by Ashburton District councillors not everyone was happy with what was proposed. Town centre working group chairwoman Diane Rawlinson said it was important when the CBD was revitalised it did not come into a new era dragging some of its past behind. “It’s like doing up a house and bringing it into a modern era, but leaving the kitchen in the past,” she said. It was a no-brainer for Peter Reveley. The water feature would be a great addition to the domain, he said. Selwyn Price agreed with removing the water feature but said he wanted the council to keep an open mind on its future home. The domain might not be the best option, he said. Lynette Lovett was also open-minded on a future site but wanted assurances
the feature would not be removed and the site left vacant for months. The exact time frame for the relocation couldn’t be pinpointed yet, environmental services group manager Jane Donaldson said, as this would be tied in with when the landscape teams were ready to do paving, planting and the installation of cycle lanes in that area. The move, however, would be within two years, she said. While eight councillors and Ashburton Mayor Donna Favel were enthusiastic about the water feature’s relocation to a domain site, Neil Brown, Mark Malcolm, Russell Ellis and Sewlyn Price were not.
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