High rise developments dominate skylines and are contentious in many low rise urban environments. Christchurch is no exception and its residents have historically been vocal in articulating their opinions on matters they care about, especially in regard to projects they perceive will ruin their ‘garden city’. At the turn of the millennium, developers were preparing yet another proposal which would get the tongues wagging in Christchurch with the development of the former Ferrymead Tavern site on Ferry Road. The planning process was a long and antagonistic one with many individuals viewing the built towers with a look of ‘disgust’ and discontent. In an ironic twist, the seismic activity in Christchurch over the last few years which has had major implications for a range of planning issues, incrementally led to the death of highly controversial Ferrymead ‘Water’s Edge’ Apartments.
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Heritage Apartment Hotel in Cathedral Square all refurbished and ready to occupy".
A photograph of the street number and apartment numbers at 440 Oxford Terrace spray-painted on the footpath in front. The street number is written as 466 but this is the incorrect number for this site. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the former site of a block of apartments at 440 Oxford Terrace. The apartments were demolished after the land was zoned Red. Grass has begun to grow over the site. The number 466 has been spray-painted on the footpath in front, as well as the numbers of each apartment. This number is the incorrect street number for the site.
An aerial photograph looking west over Cathedral Square with the Christchurch Cathedral in the centre.
A video of an interview with James Jameson about the lack of access to his apartment in the Victoria Apartments. Many of Jameson's possessions have been trapped in the building since the 22 February 2011 earthquake, including irreplaceable art and book collections. After the earthquake, Jameson was given a couple of hours to retrieve his computer and other essentials, but he has not been allowed in since. Jameson talks about the lack of communication from the authorities , the likelihood that his possessions have been ruined, and his inability to make an insurance claim until he knows he definitely cannot retrieve his possessions.
