“We’re not going to be used as a scapegoat about moving to that stadium to support such a development or another stadium. All we’re doing is committing and fulfilling our obligations to Mount Smart.
“What happens in the future we’ll determine that then but we are certainly not going to get caught up in league’s going there or league’s going here.”
George said it’s hard to say whether a plan like Eden Park 2.0 is realistic.
“The concept plans always look good but the detail behind that I’m not sure.
“I have no idea about time frames, costings, who’s paying for it. If it’s $10 million, it’s a great proposal — but if it’s $10 billion I’ve got no idea.”
While they have not put a price tag on the plans, Eden Park Trust chair Doug McKay estimates it would be about 40 per cent of the cost of starting from scratch at a greenfield location and avoids engineering and environmental issues likely to affect other areas, including the Auckland waterfront.
The proposal is the brainchild of the Eden Park Trust and has yet to be presented formally to the council or the Government, whose support would be vital.
Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson told the Herald: “No commitment has been made by the Government at this stage.
”The Government hasn’t received an approach by the Trust on its plans for Eden Park.
“The proposal appears to be in its early stages and I would encourage discussions between the Trust, Auckland Council, the Government, local residents and other stakeholders as the plan is developed, including funding options.”
National Party sport and recreation spokesperson Michael Woodhouse said: “Anything is possible but the plan that has been released is pretty low on detail. I’m looking forward to catching up with Trust members and getting a little bit more under the bonnet to find out what’s possible.
“It’s quite technically and financially difficult to retrofit a roof on an existing stadium, particularly the one a size and shape of Eden Park. And as a consequence of that, it wouldn’t surprise me if this came with a pretty hefty price tag.
“I can’t say what level of support is provided that is appropriate from Government because there simply isn’t enough detail for that.
“We are going into fairly stringent times, so regardless of who the Government is, it’s not going to be easy to stump up with material amounts of money in the middle of a cyclone recovery and a cost of living crisis.”
New Zealand Cricket spokesperson Richard Boock said “it’s early days and we haven’t anything to add at this juncture.
“We’ve seen many proposals about Eden Park over the years and it will be interesting to see how this one goes.”
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s office told the Herald they will not be commenting.
