Horse clubs on edge over park
A Christchurch charity and a pony club are worried a new indoor sports centre will put their operations at risk.
Christchurch Netball and Mainland Football announced last week plans to build a $20 million, 10,000-square-metre,
10-court facility in Christchurch, opening in late 2021 or early 2022.
Exactly where the centre, to be named Netsal, would be built has not been decided but Riding for the Disabled (RDA) and the Halswell Pony Club believe the Christchurch City Council-owned Canterbury Agricultural Park is a preferred location. If the centre was built at the park, it would take away much-used green space and substantially increase traffic, seriously affecting the way both organisations operate, they said.
RDA training co-ordinator Jenny Nicol said the charity had heard from three ‘‘reliable sources’’ the park was a preferred option but they did not know for sure. The two groups met with the council’s recreation services manager David Bailey on Wednesday and while he was not able to say if the park was being considered for the centre, he did not deny it, Nicol said.
RDA moved to the agricultural park in
2004 and has invested heavily in its base, which it owns. It hosts 70 riders and
70 volunteers every week. ‘‘One of the big reasons we came here was the open space.’’ Riders often ride through the surrounding grounds and adjoining park but that would not be possible if the centre was built close to RDA.
‘‘If the green space was developed for more sports, then it would really affect our ability for our riders to interact with the environment and interact with the people of Christchurch that walk through there.
‘‘We need calm spaces and some green space. We have invested a huge amount of energy to make this work.’’
Halswell Pony Club president Jan Mackay said the club had just spent tens of thousands of dollars rebuilding its crosscountry course after having to make way for the Nga¯ Puna Wai sports hub.
If the Netsal development and its associated car park went ahead on the park, the area would no longer be big enough for the club. ‘‘Riding horses across roads is not ideal.’’ Mackay said the club was ‘‘in limbo’’ and wanted to know if the Netsal centre was planned for the park.
‘‘We have not even started to be consulted, we have only heard about this through rumours. We don’t want it to end up happening without us knowing anything,’’ Mackay said.
The council said any application for a lease on the site would be subject to a month-long public consultation. It had not received any applications for the project, a spokesman said.
Christchurch Netball Centre board chairwoman Chris Rodda said she was not in a position to name sites because they were still negotiating possible locations and there was more than one being considered. Christchurch Netball had looked at various sites since 2012 but it had proved difficult. ‘‘You can’t just put it on a postage stamp.’’ Rodda would not say if netball would completely exit from Hagley Park. However, she ruled out building the new facility on Hagley Park.
She said the centre, which would cater for netball at a ‘‘grassroots club level’’, could be used seven days a week, rather than just Saturdays. It was important players had access to indoor courts and were able to play without games being called off due to bad weather.
As well as netball and futsal – a variation on indoor football – the centre would be used for other sports and to host cultural and community events.