Apartments say Sumner skate ramp must go: 'it's driving us crazy'

Simon (left) skates the half pipe while Mark Townshend shows his son Jet, 4, some moves. Photo / Annabelle Dick

A decision on whether a Christchurch skate ramp has to be moved is expected to be made this week.

The half pipe, on the bend of Marriner St and Wakefield Ave in Sumner, has been operating without a resource consent and the city council is reviewing what enforcement action to take.

Sumner business owners Chris and Roydon Gage-Smart, of Sumner Re Treat, say the skate ramp has created serious noise issues and is also having an impact on their business.

"We've had kids skating up until midnight and it's driving us and our clients in our apartments crazy," Mr Gage-Smart said.

The skate ramp has been on the temporary Wakefield Ave site since last winter and is facilitated by the Sumner Residents' Community Association.

Last week, the city council issued a compliance notice to either remove the ramp, reduce its size or apply for a resource consent by last Friday.

But the city council back-tracked after it realised the ramp was part of a transitional city grant.

The city council's planning department has requested a legal review on what enforcement action to take and the compliance date for its removal is now on hold.

City council compliance officer Adrian Lambert said a decision is expected to be made this week on the skate ramp's future.

It's not the first time Sumner residents have dealt with a controversial skate park issue. In 2015, American denim brand Levi's committed $180,000 worth of funding to create a skate park on Sumner's Esplanade.

It spurred public meetings with skaters but eventually Levi's pulled the offer after a lengthy city council process. The project has remained on the back burner ever since.

The skate ramp originally sat on the corner of Wakefield Ave and Nayland St but the city council asked the association to move it last year so construction could begin on the Sumner Centre.

"The council knew we were moving to this site and told us to move. We asked them to find us a site and they couldn't and told us to find some privately-owned land," Sumner Community Residents' Association member Kimberley Mossman said.

The current site belongs to a local resident who loaned it to the association to put the ramp on for the interim.

The group looking to move the ramp to the former Marine Tavern site permanently to create a village green.

Nearby residents say they've witnessed drinking, littering and users purposely banging their boards against the ramp to keep neighbours awake.

"It's wooden and it creates a lot of noise. If there's half a dozen kids there in the evening, it's very loud. The local nearby residents, we've got together and we're against it. We just want it out of here," Mr Gage-Smart said.

Mrs Mossman said the problems were related to older teenagers coming into Sumner in the evening when the ramp was unlocked.

The residents' association agreed to unlock and lock the ramp at 8am and 9.30pm each day to mitigate issues.

"I get it doesn't suit everyone but what are kids going to be doing if there's no skate ramp? These kids are really engaged and skating is a really tough activity. They're a great bunch of kids," she said.

Young local skaters who frequently use it wanted to see it stay as well.