Arena plans scaled down
A proposal to build a $15 million commercial building at Palmerston North’s Central Energy Trust Arena has been shelved.
The city council investigated the idea after Sport Manawatu¯ walked away from plans to work with the council to build its home base, Sports House, at the arena site.
The design of a $17m entry plaza, pedestrian bridge, speedway pits and embankment currently being built at the site had left space for a building where
Sports House could have been.
But the majority of city councillors has voted against developing plans for a commercial building, despite mayor Grant Smith arguing it should at least be considered as part of next year’s longterm plan review.
Council property manager Bryce Hosking said the $15m, three-level building could have included a hospitality and function area on the top floor, offering great views of the arena and city.
The lower levels could have had a mix of office and retail tenants and health providers. A cheaper option would have been to leave off the hospitality floor and construct an $11m building.
Hosking’s report pointed out several difficulties for the project.
The council had not consulted the public about a commercial building, and there was no guarantee it would get resource consent.
‘‘Overall, the proposal to create a tenanted commercial building within CET Arena is a poor fit with the District Plan.’’
Cr Brent Barrett said he was not prepared to contemplate the options when the council needed to be much more strategic about spending money.
Barrett said the council should not be attracting commercial and retail tenants away from the city centre.
Cr Karen Naylor said the council did have a mandate from the community to pursue the possibility of an expensive building for commercial tenants.
Smith, who also chairs the CET Arena master plan steering group, argued the site was a part of the central business district.
He said councillors should at least be prepared to consider the proposal and see what the public thought.
He was supported by councillors Pat Handcock, Billy Meehan, Leonie Hapeta and Vaughan Dennison.
The rest of the councillors voted to leave the proposal out of the draft long-term plan.