Despite warnings from staff, the strategy and finance committee had recommended council waive the fee. 

Mayor Lianne Dalziel, who backed the application at the committee stages,  said she had changed her mind on the matter.

At a council meeting on Thursday, Tim Scandrett and left-leaning People's Choice Crs Andrew Turner, Pauline Cotter, Jimmy Chen, Glenn Livingstone, Yani Johanson and Phil Clearwater voted to waive the fee.

Dalziel, Ali Jones, Vicki Buck, Jamie Gough, Raf Manji, Paul Lonsdale and David East voted against granting the remission.

The split vote meant the status quo - that the church be required to pay the development contribution - was maintained.

City councillors were torn about whether to approve the church's application, but council staff said granting a remission would set a dangerous precedent.

St Paul's School on Gayhurst Rd, Dallington, was red-zoned after the earthquakes and subsequently sold to the Crown.

The  diocese decided to merge the school with Our Lady of Fatima in Edgeware, creating a new primary school , St Francis of Assisi, on the Innes Rd site.

Two new classroom blocks were built and the church was invoiced for $150,617 under the council's development contributions policy to cover the cost of additional demand on infrastructure.

The school did not want to pay the bill and asked for a remission, saying its post-earthquake circumstances were unique.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: facebook.com

The Bishop's proposal was made following three rounds of community consultation

The proposal is to cancel the integration agreement of both St Paul's and Our Lady of Fatima schools and to establish and integrate of a new state integrated school.

The new school will be called St Francis of Assisi School.

This is also the name of the new parish that has been formed by the uniting the former parishes of Burwood, Dallington and Mairehau.

The new school will be located on the current site of Our Lady of Fatima School on Innes Road.

The St Paul's website reports that the decision will result in the loss of all jobs associated with both the schools.

CEO Christchurch manager Mike Nolan said opinions between both school communities were "clearly mixed" after an "extensive consultation process".

The office had resource consent for the plans to extend the Our Lady of Fatima site and "all going well" building would start about October, Nolan said.

Education Ministry spokeswoman Katrina Casey said its own consultation would end on July 18.

Options for the new school to open are in term three of 2015, or at the start of 2016.

Our Lady of Fatima board of trustees chairwoman Noeline Soper said she had been "extremely concerned at the integrity of the consultation process".

Soper hoped the ministry's consultation would give more consideration to families.

While her school felt for the St Paul's community, the decision was based on property rather than on what was best for the children, she said.

Catholic Education Office (CEO) chief executive Pat Lynch said the move was "absolutely earthquake-driven" after St Paul's in Dallington was damaged and became the only red-zoned school in the city.

Soper says, "We remain hopeful and ready to work for a better result than that proposed by the bishop, for our staff, for our families, but mostly for our children.

However, Casey said the ministry had "no role" in putting forward change options when integrated schools were involved.

St Paul's principal Chris Callaghan said it had been an "incredibly difficult situation", but it was time to focus on the positives.

Source

• The Press
• The Catholic Education Office Diocese of Christchurch
• St Paul's School
• The Catholic Diocese of Christchurch
• Image: The Catholic Diocese of Christchurch

The merger is to proceed and the new school will be situated in Mairehau, on the site of Our Lady of Fatima in Innes Rd.

Following the earthquakes and the red-zoning of St Paul's School the Diocese undertook a community consultation on a proposed merger.

After considering the community consultation report, the Bishop of Christchurch requested the Minister of Education to give consideration to agreeing to the provision of:

• a new state integrated full primary school entity (to be named St Francis of Assisi Catholic School),
• with a maximum roll of 495 students,
• situated on the St Francis of Assisi Parish site at 370 Innes Road,
• commencing in term 1, 2016.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has agreed in principle to Bishop Barry Jones' request.

Catholic Education Office manager Mike Nolan said the new school would receive a $6 million investment for new buildings and would have a maximum roll of 495 - "educationally a desirable number".

St Francis of Assisi is also the name chosen for the new parish formed by the merger of the St Paul's, Holy Family (Burwood) and Our Lady of Fatima (Mairehau) parishes .

Source

• The Press
• Catholic Diocese of Christchurch
• Scoop