Community invited to provide feedback on Coastal Hazard Report

The date to put in your calendar to attend meeting- New Brighton Working Men's Club in Marine Parade from 7.30 to 8.30pm on Thursday, March 31, 2016.  
see below for more dates>

GHD has been appointed by Christchurch City Council to manage an independent review of the Coastal Hazard Assessment Report (Tonkin & Taylor 2015), and we are seeking the community's input. 

The Report was released to the public by the Council in July 2015. It identified areas in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula vulnerable to coastal erosion and inundation (flooding by the sea over a 50 and 100 year timeframe), taking into account the potential impact of sea level rise.

The Report has already been independently peer reviewed once but the Council agreed in December 2015 to a further peer review.

The second review was ordered in response to community concerns and a Council staff report on the sea-level rise report released by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan Wright.

In managing the independent review, we will draw on community input and suggestions to recommend which national and international experts should be on the review panel. The final decision of the membership of the peer review panel will be made by Councillors.

We are also seeking community feedback to help develop the questions around the report that the review panel will address.

The process

• GHD will be collating questions from the community on the report from Monday 21st March 2016 to Wednesday 6th April 2016. All questions will help to inform the Terms of Reference that will be used by the peer review panel.
   

• Drawing on community input GHD will recommend a science-based review panel that could include national and/or international experts. Who will be on the panel depends on their availability, independence and combined expertise to help answer any questions that you have. The final decision of the membership of the peer review panel will be made by Council.
   

• The review panel will work through questions on the report that you or other members of the community have raised. They will be asked to submit outcomes of their review to the Council at the Council meeting on 9th June 2016.
   

• This week we are sending letters to every household within the areas assessed in the Coastal Hazard Assessment Report (Tonkin & Taylor 2015) as being vulnerable to coastal hazards, explaining the process and letting them know how they can take part.

What we are seeking from people interested in the report:

• Specific concerns you may have about the report.
   

• What assumptions and other matters made in the report would you like to be reviewed, asking for specific references to the part of the report they are commenting on. 
   

• What data, information or findings in the report are you comfortable with?
   

• What skills and experience would you expect the members of the peer review panel to possess?
   

• Do you have suggestions as to appropriately qualified scientific experts for the peer review panel?

What the peer review panel will not be able to address:

• International Panel on Climate Change climate assessment report www.ipcc.ch/
   

• Proposed District Plan provisions www.ccc.govt.nz/districtplanreview
   

• Coastal hazard statements on Land Information Memorandums.
   

• Any other matters not addressed by the report.

How people can take part

• Email questions to chcmail@ghd.com. Please note the cut-off date to receive any questions is 5pm, Wednesday, 6th April 2016.
   

• Post questions to PO Box 13468 Christchurch 8141 New Zealand
   

• Bring questions at a time and location specified below for an opportunity to meet with GHD:

• At St Andrew's Anglican Church in Redcliffs from 5.30 to 6.30pm on Thursday, March 31.

• At the New Brighton Working Men's Club in Marine Parade from 7.30 to 8.30pm on Thursday, March 31.

• At the Duvauchelle Community Centre from 4..30 to 5.30pm on Monday, April 4.

• At the Diamond Harbour Hall from 7.15 to 8..15pm on Monday, April 4.

Background

The findings of the Coastal Hazard Assessment report were to be used to support Stage Three of the Council's proposed Replacement Christchurch District Plan. But in September 2015 the Government announced it was removing the coastal hazards from the District Plan Review process to allow more time to consider planning issues related to potential sea level rise.

This means that the planning response to coastal hazards will now be done through standard Resource Management Act 1991, processes rather than the fast-tracked District Plan review process.

For more information on coastal hazards visit www.ccc.govt.nz/coastalhazards

You are welcome to forward this email onto anyone who would be interested in participating in this exercise and inputting into the Terms of Reference.

Kind Regards

Maurice Hoban
GHD Limited

Please visit our Facebook page to leave your comments and feedback on this letter/notice.>