By: Mike Yardley | Saturday, August 04, 2012 9:00 AM

As the great Olympic juggernaut monopolises our attention span, there’s been little scope for much else to make a splash in the news headlines.

However, the much-awaited unveiling of the central city’s blueprint has kicked London aside for many Cantabrians, as we have absorbed and admired the road map for our new-look city. 23 months since our lives were first ripped apart, we now have a much clearer idea of how new Christchurch is going to appear. CERA, Warwick  Issacs and BofferMiskell have crafted an adventurous recipe for urban re-creation. I think they have positioned Christchurch to emerge as one of the most attractive, electric and dynamic small cities in the world. The Frame is unquestionably the most daring aspect to the plan, although this Adelaide-style parkland buffer will certainly give the city centre its best chance of achieving twin goals. First, the “City in a Garden” atmospherics are underscored, but secondly the dramatic shrinking of the city centre’s size will enhance its prospects of  exuding a new-found sense of urban verve and a stronger beating heart.

Fallout.

The Frame’s far-reaching impact on landowners has already triggered some legal headaches for CERA. Roger Sutton may well be regretting his comments on radio this week, in which he reassured a caller that Les Mills will be allowed to stay in the green buffer zone. When asked whether the same courtesy would apply to Calendar Girls, the welcome mat was not extended. CERA now stands accused of playing favourites in the meat market.  Meanwhile, are they also playing God? The Cardboard Cathedral will have pride of play in the sprawling green parkland, yet St. Paul’s Church (the largest Pacific Island church in Christchurch) is miffed that they have not been accorded the same status. Located in Madras St, across the road from the IRD building, the St. Paul’s church community’s re-building plans are now in jeopardy.

Unfinished business.

As a radio caller so shrewdly remarked this week, the government’s blueprint is akin to your parents choosing the house you must buy, but expecting you to fund the mortgage, even if it’s beyond your budget. Once again, the spectre of council asset sales has been reawakened. Meanwhile, Justice Chisholm’s High Court ruling on the scope of Gerry Brownlee’s  special powers, has thrown a curve ball into the Hagley Oval debate. Maybe city councillors emphatically rejected Canterbury Cricket’s proposal a few weeks ago, in the belief that they didn’t have to get their hands dirty, because Gerry would override the resource consent process and fast-track approval. That is no longer going to happen. So, what will the council do now, to grab a slice of the Cricket World Cup for Christchurch?

Photo: Supplied

-As Published in The Press Saturday August 4 2012-