Come and join us for a day of conversations and activities exploring the future character of South Canterbury.
Drop in, meet the team, ask questions and share your views on how the new neighbourhood should look, feel and function.
Here's what's happening throughout the day:
- 10.00am: Doors open
- 10.00am - 4.00pm: Informal drop-in and conversations with the team
- 11.00am: An introduction to the Design Code and how it works
- 12.30pm: Landscape, play and green space
- 2.00pm: Walking, cycling and connections into Canterbury
Feel free to register for any of the sessions below, or simply drop in for a chat with the team. There will be plenty of tea and cake!
No structure, no agenda. Just come and have a chat over a cup of tea or coffee.
This is your chance to sit down with members of the team and talk about whatever is on your mind. Whether it’s a question about the plans, something you’d like to follow up from earlier in the day, or a new idea, we’re here to listen.
Our Design Code Survey will also be available for anyone who would like to take part.
A design code sets out the principles that shape how a new place looks and feels. It covers things like the height and layout of buildings, the character of streets, the materials used, and how green spaces sit alongside homes. Once agreed, it becomes the framework that housebuilders follow when they build at South Canterbury.
This session explains what our design code covers, why it matters, and how it will be used. We are also launching our online Design Code Surveys, which give everyone a chance to have a say on the details that will shape the area. Your answers will feed directly into the thinking. If you have ever wondered how local people can truly influence what gets built, this is where it happens.
Green space is one of the most important parts of any new neighbourhood, and at South Canterbury it starts with the landscape that is already here.
This session brings together two themes: the natural setting of the area, and how parks and play areas can work within it. We will look at the existing fields, trees, and wildlife on the land, talk about how green spaces could connect into the wider network of countryside, and look at how natural areas – like picnic spaces – can be scattered into the landscape.
The focus is on understanding what matters most to local people, not designing finished spaces. Come and tell us where you go to walk, relax, and spend time outdoors, and what you feel is missing.
This session is about walking and cycling routes, and how the new neighbourhood can be best integrated into the rest of the town. We want to understand what routes matter most to you, which journeys feel awkward or unsafe, and where better connections could make a real difference.
We are not asking what it would take to get more people cycling. We are asking how we can design routes, paths, and connections that make it easy and natural to move between South Canterbury and the rest of Canterbury on foot or by bike. We will also talk about mobility hubs: shared spaces where different ways of getting around come together.
We look forward to seeing you there, whether you have a spare half hour or want to join us for the day.
Let’s shape the future of Canterbury together!