Council to back new Dunedin stadium

[travelling_gerry]

RugbyHeaven | Tuesday, 18 March 2008

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DUNEDIN'S DREAM: The proposed new rugby stadium, which has been voted $91.4 million in backing from Dunedin's city council.

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The proposed new Dunedin rugby stadium has been given the green light after a contentious city council meeting in the city on Monday night.

The Dunedin City Council, which has been split over the issue of funding for the Awatea St venue, voted to commit $91.4 million to the construction of the new multi-purpose stadium which it is hoped will be completed in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The Carisbrook Stadium Trust project has budgeted for a total cost of $188 million, which would allow the facility to become New Zealand's first roofed rugby stadium, though the council's sizeable contribution was considered the main hurdle to be cleared before construction could begin.
Trust chairman Malcolm Farry told media after the meeting he was happy with the council decision, and said the way was now clear to move the project even closer to fruition.
The council took nearly seven hours to come to its decision (passed decisively with a vote of 12-2), though it will not be a popular one with a large proportion of Dunedin's ratepayers who are being asked to contribute $1.37 per household per week towards meeting the DCC's contribution.
The council has set a number of conditions that would allow it to pull out of the project should they not be met. They are looking for around $45 million from the regional council and a similar amount from private backers before it is finally rubber-stamped.
Dunedin mayor Peter Chin said the stadium would have positive spinoffs for the city and he was delighted it had cleared this significant hurdle. He added that Dunedin could achieve the distinction of being the only city in New Zealand to have a stadium with a roof, providing the extra funding was achieved to enable it.
He is confident the city council's terms and conditions will be worked through over the next few months.

[jargan83]

"Hoped to ready for the World Cup"?? They left it bit late, although Skilled Stadium on the Gold Coast was built in 18-24 months wasn't it?

How much people is this stadium going to hold?

[chibi]

So now Dunedin's gonna beat us to it, and probably build a better one while they're at it

[shasta]

So now Dunedin's gonna beat us to it, and probably build a better one while they're at it

In fairness, if the TOV council had as many of rugby tragic rate payers as the Dunedin City Council, we would not see petition weilding TWF'ers pestering people at traffic lights.

[jargan83]

Or shopping centres