Taranaki Cricket seeks support for upgrade
Taranaki Cricket is drumming up support to redevelop the outdated Bellringer Pavilion at New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park.
The regional cricket association has launched an online survey for its stakeholders encouraging them to have a say in future developments at the famous cricket venue, which was once ranked among the top six grounds in the world.
The short survey asks a variety of questions seeking feedback that will inform a submission to the New Plymouth District Council’s draft $4 billion 10-year long-term plan (LTP).
It asks respondents whether they are cricket fans, whether they support a new pavilion at the park, whether they support spending rates money on the proposal, and whether televised sport is a good way to promote Taranaki. The pavilion, built in 1924, is earthquake prone and doesn’t meet requirements for first-class cricket.
Taranaki Cricket general manager Ryan Evans said it was important to get feedback from cricketing stakeholders on the venue’s future.
“A day watching cricket on the terraces holds special memories for kids and adults from all around our province, and we want the legacy of the sports ground to continue,” he said.
“We were really pleased that work on the Bellringer Pavilion was included in the draft LTP, and we need people’s support to make sure it stays in the mix for the future.”
Evans said the information from the short survey would be used to back up Taranaki Cricket’s submission to the council.
“We think we’ll be able to present a compelling case to councillors showing there is plenty of support around the community for continuing to bring top cricket matches to Pukekura Park.”
Evans said the pavilion would be available not just for cricket but also for community use, as with the current building.
It’s understood the $16.3 million price tag includes landscaping and moving the groundskeeper’s shed from where the proposed building could be constructed.
Evans said the cricket association’s preferred option was to keep the proposed work on the pavilion included in the LTP, but he remained open-minded.
“We realise $16m is a lot of money in tight economic times, so we’re also keen to look at other options to keep the costs as low as possible,” he said.
Those include staged work, looking at different and alternative design options or working to raise funds to bring to the table.
“The important thing at this stage is to keep the project in the council’s work plans so we can start looking at how we can best keep it moving forward.”
He said Taranaki Cricket had worked with the district council and other key users of the park over the past few years to get the plans to the point they were at now.
The survey is available online at tripetto. APP/RUN/EJ6RPS2IUL.
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