Rising sea levels: Christchurch council agrees to start adaption planning

Cave Rock at Sumner Beach. Photo / Supplied

Planning to deal with rising sea levels, and how low-lying communities respond to it, will get underway in Christchurch.

The Ministry for the Environment predicted sea levels would rise by about 370mm within the next 30 years – and by 2100 be just over a metre.

In Christchurch, that meant 25,000 properties would be exposed to coastal flooding and around 1000 properties would be at risk of coastal erosion over the next 100 years.

Today, a programme to respond to that was unanimously voted for by the Christchurch City Council's Urban Development and Transport committee.

That meant adaption planning would soon begin in some communities in the Lyttleton/Mount Herbert area.

Deputy mayor and Banks Peninsula councillor Andrew Turner agreed that those communities would be the best ones to target first.

"These communities are small, there is a high awareness of the issues they're facing," he said.

"Clearly there are other areas we will engage with future tranches of work."

"We have a big coastline and a lot of low-lying land, so one of the most significant challenges facing us is how do we respond to the coastal hazards caused by climate change and sea level rise," said Urban Development and Transport Committee Chair, councillor Mike Davidson.

"First up, it's important we have a city-wide conversation about the adaptation planning process as there are implications for all residents, not just people living in coastal and low-lying communities.

"We have some big decisions ahead of us that will likely have an impact not just on this generation, but on generations to come."

Three community workshops would be held in the coming weeks.