New plan to save grandstand
A new proposal has been suggested to save the Golden Bay grandstand.
The Golden Bay Grand Stand Community Trust proposes buying the building for a ‘‘peppercorn price’’ and taking responsibility for any restoration work as well as the ongoing maintenance costs.
In its proposal, the trust requests the Tasman District Council to agree in principle to support the sale of the grandstand to the trust; and support the proposal by voting to rescind its earlier decision to demolish the grandstand
Tasman district councillors are due to consider the proposal at a full council meeting scheduled for tomorrow.
The proposal comes after a July 11 meeting at Takaka between members of the trust and the council at which an earlier draft proposal by the trust was discussed.
A report from TDC chief executive Lindsay McKenzie, written after the meeting and in response to the earlier draft proposal, recommends the council reconfirm its earlier decision to remove the grandstand.
However, he adds that if there is a credible late proposal, TDC could give the trust more time to consider its options and to ‘‘resource up’’ for a project.
‘‘To that end, we discussed the possibility with the trust that one option they may like to consider is that the council could remove the grandstand’s appendages (other than the rugby club rooms, which are holding it up) then allow the trust three months to assess what has been revealed of the remaining structure and propose a preservation and restoration plan,’’ McKenzie says.
Trustee Hazel Pearson said the trust would be delighted with a three-month opportunity to work with the council.
She said it would allow them to gather more information on the grandstand’s structure when the squash court was demolished to reveal the cladding on the adjoining grandstand wall.
The proposals come after the trust took proceedings against the council in the Environment Court after a decision by Heritage New Zealand to allow the TDC to demolish the grandstand.
The court found in favour of the council and Heritage New Zealand.
In his report, McKenzie says TDC has spent about $150,000 in unbudgeted expenditure on legal and consultants’ fees as a consequence of the proceedings.