25,000seat covered stadium opted for
CHRISTCHURCH: The Christchurch City Council has decided to develop a preliminary design for a 25,000seat covered stadium.
Councillors yesterday attended a fourhour long extraordinary meeting, called during a recess week, to approve and modify the design of the key multisporting facility missing from the Christchurch landscape since the earthquakes.
What needed to be determined yesterday was the minimum sportsmode seating capacity.
Late last month the council was advised the contract price estimate for the stadium was $130 million over budget.
The budget stands at $473 million, of which $220 million is from the Crown.
Council citizens and community general manager Mary Richardson said the report identified ‘‘the increase was largely due to the increase in the size of the building getting bigger with additional seats and the concourse’’.
The increase was also due to the large increase in construction costs, especially steel, she said.
Christchurch city councillor Yani Johanson said after the meeting he voted against the reduced stadium as he believed there was huge risk with the project.
He said the costs of bidding for toptier sports matches such as All Blacks games were an unsustainable burden on ratepayers.
‘‘Because we’re also asked, after we’ve spent a huge amount of capital, to put in huge bidincentive funds and whoever gives the biggest bid incentive to NZ Rugby ends up with the matches.
‘‘So even if we build a big stadium, there is no guarantee we will get those tier 1 All Blacks games that people want.’’
The meeting was told the 25,000seat concept would also offer better turf solution and acoustics for concerts.
Council head of recreation, sport and events Nigel Cox said the level 1 concourse was ‘‘prioritised as being more important than the additional 5000 seats from 25,000 to 30,000 if the budget didn’t allow for both’’.
‘‘The 25,000seat capacity would cater for most sporting events with the exception of a Super Rugby final and an All Blacks game, and any oneoff events that come to the city.’’
Crusaders chief executive Colin Mainsbridge said the ‘‘recommended design strikes a good balance between amenities, quality and costeffectiveness’’.
NZ Rugby reiterated it ‘‘takes into account a wide range of factors in allocating test matches. The capacity of the stadium is one factor but definitely isn’t the only factor they consider when allocating test matches.’’
Venues Otautahi chief executive Caroline HarvieTeare told councillors the recommended option of a 25,000 seated capacity ‘‘delivers on all the core fundamentals, including turf health, with the level 1 concourse an enhanced guest experience’’.
Crucial to the decision was the health of the turf under a roofed arena.
Council head of parks Andres Rutledge said there had been disasters around the world with complex stadium builds where ‘‘trying to keep something natural and alive in an artificial environment has created significant cost challenges for the owners of those venues going forward’’.
The agreed option would take ‘‘the stress away from every multiuse on that turf ’’ and while there would be a need for ‘‘replacement turf’’, under the concerned design ‘‘this will be significantly reduced and we are talking about funds that are not budgeted for’’.
Despite yesterday’s decision, Ms Richardson told councillors the ‘‘project still has risk of future cost escalation given we are still in the early stages of design’’ and operating in a ‘‘Covid and postCovid environment’’. —