Hadlee Stand to be bowled over

The Hadlee Stand is set to pulled down. Photo / Geoff Sloan

The Hadlee Stand is going to be bowled over, but the future of the rest of AMI Stadium remains up in the air.

However, it should be decided by the end of March.

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority has issued the city council with a Section 38 demolition notice, and the council has put the tendering and demolition process in CERA's hands.

While this stand is going, at present there were no plans to demolish the stadium, said the council's acting community services manager, John Filsell.

"The council is still working through engineering options, and recommendations will be presented to the council for a decision," he said.

However, there was no time frame for when this would occur, he said.

The Hadlee Stand, which opened in 1995, received significant damage in February, he said. The council was issued a Section 38 notice on December 21.

Both cricket and rugby are waiting to learn what will happen to the stadium - the headquarters for their sports for more than a century.

Canterbury Rugby CEO Hamish Riach said he expected the stadium's future to be decided by the end of March.

As for whether rugby would ever be played on the historic ground again:

"I don't know," he said. "We need to trust the experts to tell us.

"Until we get the experts' view, it's all a bit premature. We are waiting for the official word."

And Canterbury Cricket CEO Lee Germon also said he didn't know if his sport would return there one day. "Until we get more clarification, we are all just sitting and waiting, really," he said.

He understood the council was still working through whether it could be rebuilt and what it would cost, but did not know when this would be decided.

The Hadlee Stand name recognises the Hadlee family's huge contribution to the sport, and when he heard it had been condemned Sir Richard Hadlee said it was disappointing, but the reality was it was the sensible thing to do.