Stadium concepts discussed at stakeholder workshops

Sporting codes have met with authorities about concepts for the new Christchurch stadium.

An investment case for the long awaited multi-use stadium is due to go before the Government mid-year, after being fast tracked last April. The work is being led by Christchurch City Council staff.

Preliminary work, released in a council report last September, estimated build costs ranging from $384 million to $561m, with a preferred option sitting at $470m. There is currently $473m of funding earmarked for the build.

Council staff, Government officials and consultants held a series of stakeholder engagement workshops this week, seeking input from those organisations that would use the stadium.

Those attending were shown some possible concepts for the stadium. Detailed plans and costings have not yet been developed as details such as how the arena would sit on the site, how it would be used, and budget constraints were still being finalised.

Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge said attendees were surprised at the progress made. ‘‘Not everybody agrees with everything, but most of the groups that I’ve been involved in, when you talk to people afterwards, they thought exceptional progress had been made.’’

Mansbridge said those working on the investment case presented a summary of the work they had done and how they got to where they were. He said the workshop covered stadium orientation, type of turf, access, connection with the local community, and noise abatement strategies.

Mansbridge said it seemed like some of the more substantive decisions had been made, such as the turf would not be retractable and it would have a see through roof similar to that of Forsyth Barr in Dunedin.

He said they were looking at 25,000 seat stadium with some capacity for expansion.

‘‘Ideally in a test match you’d have 50 or 60 [thousand], but if you’re doing one of those a year, then 25 [thousand] is probably fairly good. In terms of a concert, it would take that and more.’’