The park on Westminster St, Mairehau, is home to the city's oldest rugby club - Christchurch Football Club. And, if the project goes ahead, it will share the improved facility with a new partner, the Canterbury Bowling Club.
The bowling club plans to move to the park following the closure of its Salisbury St grounds.
The proposal is in its early stages and the details of it will be discussed before the plan is finalised.
If approved, the project will involve building new clubrooms at Christchurch Park, installing three new uncovered bowling greens and building 188 car parks.
Two of the bowling greens would be grass and the other would have artificial grass.
The new clubrooms would be linked to an existing building, which will have a restaurant and bar.
The site already has rugby pitches, hockey and tennis surfaces, squash courts and parking. The Christchurch Park Motel complex is also there.
The venue would be available for public hire for weddings of about 240 people and other functions of about 400.
Christchurch Football Club chairman Mark Thompson said it is not known yet how much the development would cost but part of the funds will be covered by the club.
He said it is considering options to gain the rest of the money needed, including asking organisations like the Rata Foundation, Sport Canterbury or the Christchurch City Council for funding.
It is also not known when the project will start if it is approved.
Neighbours concerned with proposal
The proposal to develop Christchurch Park has some neighbours concerned.
Residents from Crosby, Minaret and Aylesford Sts and Marlin Pl have written a letter to the Papanui-Innes Community Board saying they were not informed about the project proposal.
A meeting attended by 35 of these residents was held and they discussed their concerns.
The resource consent was processed as a non-notified consent, which means no community consultation was needed.
Said the letter: “We note that there was never any community consultation over this re-development, despite the enormity of the redevelopment.
“We consider the actions taken, and the way they have been taken, to be divisive in the extreme, and to also be indicative that Christchurch Park clearly does not want to be part of the community it resides in,” it said.
The letter says the residents support the redevelopment proposal in principle but are unhappy with not having an opportunity to raise their concerns about it.
However, Christchurch Football Club chairman Mark Thompson said the proposal is in its early stages and the community will get a chance to give feedback on it.
The community board’s chairwoman Emma Norrish asked city council staff to arrange a meeting between staff, residents, the rugby club and other concerned parties.
Thompson said if the meeting is arranged, club representatives will attend.
