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| Domain Scrapped |
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By John Keast - Ashburton Domain has been scrapped as a possible site for the district’s $30m pool and sports stadium. Instead, site selection has been referred to the recently-formed Stadium Complex Project Group which includes Ashburton Mayor Bede O’Malley and stadium trust chairman Maurice Myers. The group will report back to the council on February 25 on “their methodology for assessment” and with recommendations on April 10. The council has also confirmed its intention to consult with the community on its preferred site along with information on other sites considered. Dropping the domain as an option follows weeks of public unrest over its inclusion, and the gathering of more than 2000 signatures by the Friends of the Domain group in just over a week. But an issue central to the decision was the belief the domain site would get mired in the resource consent process with ending up in the Environment Court. The council’s chief executive, Brian Lester, presented a report to council recommending the domain site not be considered further and that a short-list of other sites, including the Ashburton A&P Showgrounds, be re-visited to ensure the best site was chosen. That recommendation was based on a commissioned report which highlighted a raft of issues which could hinder getting resource consent. These included landscape effects (more than 100 trees would have to go), visual effects, urban design connections, reserve management, ecological effects and cultural and heritage issues. Mr Lester said he believed it very unlikely it would get consent and if it did, the matter was likely to end up in an expensive Environment Court fight. The council commissioned the report from Opus following the stadium trust proposing the domain as its preferred option. Mr Lester said the stadium would not conform to the requirements of the district plan. Now, the project group, comprising three members of council, Mr O’Malley, Kelvin Holmes and Robin Kilworth, and three members of the stadium trust, Mr Myers, Brian Leadley and Gary Casey, will manage the next process. Both groups are keen for the project to get ahead and have construction start in 2012, in line with the council’s timeline. Mr Myers said he was disappointed the domain site was not acceptable and he and stadium trust members were committed to building a facility of which the district could be proud. To date, the project has cost $700,000 to develop the concept and design options. Mr Lester defended the $90,000 cost of the latest Opus report. “This is a $30m project the biggest this district has undertaken and will meet the needs of the district for the next 30-50 years.” He said it would be foolish to cut things short at the planning stage. Friends of the Domain spokesman Garth Gallagher, who presented the petition to Mr Lester last week, said he was very pleased with the council’s move, and that it was democracy in action. The vote to remove the domain as a site option was well backed, though Kelvin Holmes abstained, saying he did not believe the public had said the domain was not the right site, and that the issue had been moved along by the media and others. Cr Ken Lowe said if the stadium trust wanted to raise money for the project, the site had to have support from the public, and the domain option was not popular. |
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