KEY POINTS:
Concerns about the $385 million pricetag of preparing Eden Park for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and fears it will become a white elephant were rejected by Eden Park Trust Board chief executive John Alexander yesterday.
At the start of a resource consent hearing, Mr Alexander and a team of experts espoused the benefits that would ultimately see Eden Park become a world-class stadium by replacing the south and west stands, plus the eastern terraces, with a covered stadium to host up to 11 games for the cup.
"The contention that the trust board may be spending money unwisely on the redevelopment of Eden Park is refuted in its entirety.
"The trust board has undertaken considerable discussion and analysis in arriving at the conclusion that the level of development proposed in this resource consent application is both appropriate and viable," Mr Alexander said.
At no stage during the day did anyone from the board say how it planned to fund the $385 million preferred option. The board has promised to put $60 million into the project and has assumed taxpayers and Auckland ratepayers will foot a $225 million shortfall. The other $100 million was expected to come come from committed funds and grants.
The board, however, was confident of the cost. Quantity surveyor Bill Barrass, of WT Partnership said the pricetag included all construction costs and professional fees, property acquisitions, development levies, escalations and contingency costs.
Alastair Richardson, a principal of international sports stadium firm HOK Sport Architecture, said Eden Park would follow in the tradition of other great rugby stadiums - Ireland's Landsdowne Road, England's Twickenham, Wales' Millennium Stadium and Murrayfield in Scotland - that had been redeveloped.
They had kept the sporting history and culture of the ground intact, while creating world-class design solutions, reducing effects on the local community and enhancing the experiences of people attending events in the ground.
The board went to pains to stress how much work had gone into reducing the effects on neighbours with a project director from Beca, Andrew Collow, giving a detailed presentation and making comparisons with Wellington's Westpac Stadium (see box).
The three independent commissioners - Leigh McGregor, Ross Gee and Gordon Macfarlane - were told the resource consent was for the $320 million "partial" upgrade of Eden Park released in June, which attracted 502 submissions.
Board lawyer David Kirkpatrick said it intended to lodge a further resource consent seeking a "full" upgrade, which included the west stand to create a full wrap-around covered stand at Eden Park. The full upgrade would reduce the south stand by 5m and the east stand by 9m. The maximum height of the stadium roof would be 37.5m, about 10 storeys high.
A board spokeswoman last night said the new resource consent would be "very minor" because most of the proposed west stand was below the 30m building height already permitted and would have little impact on neighbours because it looked out over the No.2 ground.
Mr Kirkpatrick said that, when the main work began next year, Eden Park would first bowl the eastern terraces, where a generation of fans have watched rugby and cricket from cheap seats.
Mr Alexander said the loss of the terraces, capable of holding 14,700 fans, would not necessarily lead to the loss of cheap seating. The new ground would have a range of price points, dependent on location and facilities.
The board is expected to spend four more days presenting its case.
KEEPING THE NEIGHBOURS HAPPY
Comments yesterday from Andrew Collow, project director of Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner, who has worked on Wellington's Westpac Stadium, Rugby Park in Hamilton and Jade Stadium in Christchurch.
Light spill
Light spill from the wrap-around proposal will be significantly reduced by new east, west and south stands. Light towers on ASB stadium will be removed and replaced by lights mounted on the edge of the stadium roof.
Noise
From my experience in Wellington, where noise was a major concern for Thorndon residents, enclosing the stadium has contained noise spill. In six years of operation, there have been no proven noise complaints.
Public transport
Public transport has been designed to handle 75 per cent of patrons. The initial target is 45 per cent. Through good management and suitable incentives, like integrated ticketing, we are confident the 75 per cent target is a realistic goal.
Bus hub
There will be a three-lane bus hub allowing set down and pick up of patrons from within the ground immediately adjacent to the west stand.
Pedestrian management
Historically, patrons have circulated around the park on Walters Ave, Cricket Ave and Reimers Ave. The redevelopment will include four main entrances leading to an internal concourse that will keep the impacts of patron movements and crowd noise within the stadium.
Social behaviour
At Westpac Stadium, people thought crowd behaviour would be as bad as Athletic Park. They were wrong. Patrons in good seats with easy access to food, beverage and toilets, plus easy circulation around the ground, will be better behaved.
