Sports clubs pleading for more space
Christchurch sports administrators are urging the city council to allow a $1.2 million all-weather outdoor sports facility to be built at Ra¯ whiti Domain.
The Eastern Community Sports and Recreation (ECSR) group wants to lease 3881 square metres of land at the New Brighton park to upgrade the existing tennis courts and build a canopy over them.
It planned to fund the development through grants and had already raised $675,000 from the Ra¯ta¯ Foundation and the New Zealand Community Trust. A grant from the Lotteries Commission was awaiting a Christchurch City Council decision to approve the lease.
At a council hearings panel meeting yesterday, South Brighton Tennis Club junior administrator and coach Reuben McNabb told the council not to ‘‘look a gift horse in the mouth’’.
‘‘The current situation at Ra¯ whiti is not suitable for anybody. That space is a disgrace and something has to happen.’’
He said the club had access to 13 courts before the earthquakes and now it had three, but membership had grown 40 per cent.
The hearings panel was concerned the proposed ECSR facility would restrict access to casual users of the courts, but McNabb said community access was not good now because the courts were in a terrible condition.
‘‘We’re adamant we want this process to go ahead,’’ McNabb said.
ECSR wanted to build a lightweight open-sided canopy with lighting over three courts and to lease another court and the existing sand volleyball court, which it planned to upgrade and fence. ECSR was formed to bring New Brighton sports clubs together, including rugby, softball, netball, cricket and baseball.
New Brighton Netball Club treasurer Dianna Donald told the panel the club had 180 players and only one court to train on. Teams had to share the court during training and the club’s A team had to travel to Redwood so it could access a full court.
She said a covered facility would be a huge benefit.
Public consultation on whether the council should lease the land attracted 62 submissions. There were no objections to proposal, but some did have concerns about the reduced availability of the tennis courts for the wider public if approved.
Council staff recommended the lease be approved but to ensure the outdoor tennis court was available for public use during summer evenings.
The panel asked ECSR to provide a schedule of use for the courts and adjourned the panel until July 4. A Christchurch man has denied a charge of wounding Kosmo the police dog and will stay in custody pending a bail hearing next week.
In the Christchurch District Court yesterday, defence counsel Caitlin Gentleman said Joshua Luke Cooper, 29, elected to be tried by a judge-alone on the allegation that he stabbed 4-year-old Kosmo in an incident at Kaiapoi on May 31.