Sumner car park's cost Christchurch City council $900,000

Chirstchurch city council spent $900,000 on buying two properties on Nayland St to create a car park for Matuku Takotako: Sumner Centre. Photo / Christchurch City Council website

Nearly $1 million has been spent on land to create a new car park in Sumner.

The city council spent $900,000 on buying two properties on Nayland St to create a car park for Matuku Takotako: Sumner Centre, which is currently under construction.

The properties, 31 and 33 Nayland St, cost one tenth of the $10 million budget for the centre, on the corner of Wakefield Avenue and Nayland St.

City council property consultancy manager Angus Smith said it bought the two properties to support its application when applying for the centre's resource consent.

The centre includes a new community centre, library and museum and is expected to be completed in April.

The properties will provide between 20 and 30 car parks, depending on final design, Mr Smith said.

Since the Sumner Village Master Plan was brought in to redevelop the area, the loss of car parking has been a contentious issue within the community.

As part of the plan, parking in the village would be reduced by 26 spaces. Once the plan goes ahead there would only be six car parks on Wakefield Ave.

Last month, the Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board voted to relocate the existing bus stop on the bend of Marriner St and Wakefield Ave to outside Stoked Surf Shop and other businesses on Wakefield Ave.

That would also see the removal of three on-street car parks outside those stores.