Businesses back racecourse site for co-located colleges

Business leaders are backing a racecourse in central Blenheim as the best site for the town’s new colocated colleges.

The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce is throwing its support behind Waterlea Racecourse, saying the Ministry of Education needs to hurry up and make a decision.

A location was meant to be announced by the end of last year, but racing clubs shot down the ministry’s plan to buy half the racecourse for the schools.

The ministry then named an Alabama Rd site as its preferred spot in December, before revealing last month officials were meeting with NZ Racing, putting the racecourse back on the table.

Marlborough Chamber of Commerce president Nita van Grinsven said the chamber was pleased the racecourse was being reconsidered.

‘‘We’ve been talking about it for a while and we wanted to understand what’s going on with all the parties before we got involved, but we just want someone to get on

with it, really,’’ van Grinsven said.

She was considering asking Prime Minister Bill English about it when he visited Blenheim on Tuesday, she said.

‘‘I think there has been a bit of silence about it because it’s been held up with the elections. But it’s quite important for the town.’’

The ministry needed about 15 hectares to build a $63 million campus for the new Marlborough Boys’ and Marlborough Girls’ colleges.

It approached the Marlborough Racing Club and the Marlborough Harness Racing Club over a year ago about buying half the 31-hectare racecourse, close to Marlborough Girls’ College in Springlands.

The clubs refused to sell, saying they needed the space for galloping and thoroughbred racing.

Ministry education infrastructure service manager Kim Shannon said last month negotiations with Montford Corporation about the vineyard site at Alabama Rd had been put on hold while the racecourse option was investigated further.

Van Grinsven said the racecourse was an ‘‘ideal’’ site.

‘‘It makes complete sense to locate the shared college site at the racecourse, as it is close to town and the students would have easy access to the facilities at both Lansdowne and Pollard Park.’’

The Marlborough District Council was funding the multimillion-dollar upgrade of Lansdowne Park to become a mixed sporting centre, with new offices, changing rooms and courts being constructed over the next 10 to 15 years.

Pollard Park had tennis courts and a golf course.

‘‘There is also further expan- sion of residential building happening on that northwest side of town, so the location would provide excellent access for students and families,’’ van Grinsven said.

She urged the ministry to confirm the location of the new colleges as soon as possible.

The uncertainty caused by the delay was hindering community engagement with the design process, she said. ‘‘Where the new shared college will be located is distracting from the current public consultation on aspirations for what the co-located schools should deliver for our future leaders.’’