18 November 2019 To: Greater Christchurch Group Department of the prime Minister and Cabinet Submission – Hagley Oval Section 71 proposal Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed Hagley Oval Amendments to the Christchurch District Plan – Section 71 Proposal. We currently represent 427 members throughout the Central City. The CCBA was set up in 2007 in response to the decline of the commercial environment in the city centre. Prior to the 2010/2011 earthquakes we had around 500 members and provided retail management services for the City Centre including security, marketing, events and retail advice. The CCBA’s post earthquake focus area was initially the core within the frame of the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan. This has since extended out to include the Innovation Precinct and part of the South Frame; our boundaries roughly now being St Asaph, Manchester, (Madras), Kilmore and Montreal Streets. After the earthquakes we played a key role in establishing the Re:START Mall, and we continue to help our members rebuild the Central City business offering. However, the last nine years have been exceptionally difficult for our members, with road closures, poor access, and building and road reconstruction making it very difficult for our business to operate effectively. There has been a significant lack of progress with some of the anchor projects such as the Convention Centre, Multi Purpose Arena and Metro Sports facilities yet to be completed, leaving a large economic gap in our cities offering. We know that events play an important role in bringing visitors back to the city and generate significant immediate and long-term economic, social and/or cultural benefit to Christchurch. Events are also pivotal in building the Christchurch brand and generate media coverage in markets of interest for tourism and business opportunities. We believe that having a venue that meets international broadcasting standards adds great value and enables Christchurch to bid for “top-tier” international cricket fixtures as it all helps re-establish Christchurch as an international city and gateway to the South Island. Therefore, the CCBA is supportive of the proposal to exercise the powers under section 71 of the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Act 2016 to amend the Christchurch District Plan to provide for the operation and use of Hagley Oval The CBCA supports the changes to the Resource Consent that: 1. Permit six permanent light poles and structures (as opposed to four retractable poles permitted by the 2013 resource consent). 2. Increase the number of match days allowed (from 13 days with over 2,000 spectators to 20 days with over 2,000 spectators, and from two days with over 12,000 spectators to five days with over 12,000 spectators). 3. Enable an additional five match days in years when International Cricket Council events occur. The CCBA encourages the Greater Christchurch Group to acknowledge the impact and legacy that events contribute to the Canterbury economy and society, as part of the purpose for exercising the powers under the Section 71 Proposal. For the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 matches alone, the city could expect an increase of 15,000 visitor nights and $2.9 million in visitor spending. Hosting this tournament provides significant opportunity to raise the profile of women’s sport, bringing top tier ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 games to Christchurch while raising the city’s profile to a global audience of approximately 180 million. These outcomes cannot be achieved for the city without having a venue that meets international broadcast standards. This would also see Christchurch positioned as the only cricket ground in the South Island with international standard broadcast lights. This event alone would deliver a much-needed boost for the city businesses that have struggled to survive through the post quake rebuild. The CCBA values the opportunity to submit on this proposal and we wish to speak to this submission. Regards, Annabel Turley Chairwoman Central City Business Association. .