Eden Park's $200m facelift revealed

Eden Park is set for a major facelift with a massive new stand for the Rugby World Cup - but the project is likely to cost well over an initial projection of $130 million.

The Herald on Sunday has obtained details of a favoured "horseshoe" design for the new-look stadium, which will boost its capacity to 60,000 for the 2011 tournament.

The cost of enclosing the ground from three sides - the existing South Stand and Eastern terraces would be demolished and replaced with a huge, multi-tiered structure - would cost closer to $200 million, said an industry source.

That cost also includes building a concourse under the stadium and an expanded transport park.

The Eden Park Trust Board, which owns the stadium, has provisionally committed $24 million to fund an extension of the ASB Stand to replace the dilapidated Panasonic Stand. The trust will try to raise the difference through naming rights, sponsorship and the sale of corporate boxes.

If that falls short, the next option would be to ask taxpayers to dip into their pockets, although the Government has already ruled out increasing its contribution.

A spokesperson for Sports Minister Trevor Mallard said the Government was sticking to the $30 million of renovation funding for Eden Park, announced jointly with the New Zealand Rugby Union at the time of the World Cup bid. "No provision has been made for any further upgrade costs," the spokesperson said.

Auckland City Council finance committee chairman Vern Walsh said the Government should pay for the improvements.

"It's going to be a national facility. While there is going to be some local benefit, the facility is going to benefit the country as a whole so the funding should come from central government," he said.

Auckland City Council would make a contribution but since the funding levels hadn't been determined, Mr Walsh was unsure of the amount.

Fluid

NZRU chief executive Chris Moller suggested the initial $130 million figure, made public during the World Cup bidding process, was fluid.

"Possibly these are preliminary figures that move around," Moller said. "It is important to recognise that the $130 million was specifically related to Eden Park. Now we have succeeded in winning it, there are other issues on the perimeter that need consideration.

"The finalisation of those sorts of numbers and the actual required investment is something that is part and parcel of the work that is being done."

While $200 million is a significant investment, there is an expectation there will be an increase in investors, now that the cup hosting rights are secured. It is this increased confidence that has led to a more costly plan being explored.

The NZRU made a commitment in its 2011 cup bidding document to increase the capacity of Eden Park from the 48,000 that watched the Lions last winter to 60,000. How to best fit another 12,000 seats - about the capacity of the existing South Stand - was the vexing issue.

One option was to renovate the South Stand and put temporary seating on top of the West Stand, in front of the terraces and between the West Stand and the ASB Stand.

But the cost involved in putting together such a piecemeal approach is not thought cheap enough to be justified.

"My view is that we are better to do the job properly now, rather than in a temporary fashion, so that at least we have some sort of sustainable legacy in place afterwards," Walsh said.

Eden Park Trust Board chief executive John Alexander said: "While the Rugby World Cup is the immediate goal, there are legacy issues here. There is no point in building a white elephant. We are exploring design options that present challenges in terms of noise, light and traffic."

A final decision on what form the new stadium takes is expected to be made by May. Draft plans have already been submitted to resource consent authorities, including the proposed ASB Stand extension. This has been a difficult issue in the past, with some residents of the affluent Mt Eden and Kingsland suburbs opposed because of the noise and unsavoury behaviour that can mar major sports events.

"We are looking at all options," Moller said. "Clearly as you get into more engineering and architecture work, you find some results that might not have been there before.

"We do have to get resource consent so the actual building of it and what is built will be subject to that process. We need to go through that. But we would like to think that having given due regard to other affected parties and with the country behind this bid and what it will do for the country ... the building blocks are there to achieve a favourable outcome."

Alexander says that regardless of what form the revamp takes, the stadium will be actively seeking to host more sports and sporting events but it will not be used as a venue for pop concerts.

If resource consent can be achieved, construction is expected to start in 2007 and be completed in 2010. "We would have to have a year trialing the new stadium through Super 14 before the World Cup," said Alexander.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY