Council votes to upgrade and reopen the Trafalgar Centre

23 July 2015

Nelson City Council has today voted unanimously to proceed with strengthening works to reopen the Trafalgar Centre.

Councillors have accepted a recommendation from project manager, Richard Kirby, to strengthen and upgrade the centre at a projected cost of $13 million.

The recommendation was based on the advice from the engineering firm, ARUP, which was commissioned by Council to carry out additional site-specific seismic testing on the stability of the ground and the building, supplementing the initial research conducted by Tonkin & Taylor.

The Nelson Mayor, Rachel Reese, says she is pleased that Nelson ratepayers now have some surety on the future of the Trafalgar Centre.

“This has been an extremely challenging process, one which has given many of us on the council sleepless nights as we have wrestled with how best to solve this problem.

“Based on the figures that were originally presented in the previous term of council we were concerned that earthquake strengthening the Trafalgar Centre was going to place too heavy a burden on the ratepayers.

“However we have now found a cost-effective solution which allows us to upgrade the Trafalgar Centre, and align it with the new Rutherford Park development which we are confident will be a real draw card for our city.

“We all know what a significant contribution the Trafalgar Centre brings to our cultural and economic life in the CBD through the events hosted there, and it’s been a priority to return that to the people and businesses of Nelson.

“We look forward to being able to reopen the doors of the Trafalgar Centre next year to and know we will soon have a sports and entertainment venue of which our city can be very proud.”

Project manager, Richard Kirby, says he is confident that Council’s decision offers the smartest and most cost-effective solution.

“This decision gives Nelson the chance to have a fully functional, strengthened building which should last for at least the next 50 years.

“The total cost of all the work is expected to cost just under $13 million ($12.956 million), which is significantly less than some of the earlier estimates.

“The cost of entirely demolishing and rebuilding would be $25-30 million, whereas this option allows Council to create a fabulous entertainment and sports complex which we believe will perform adequately during moderate earthquake events,” he says.

Highlights of the report which Council has voted to proceed with include:

-Less ground improvement is needed than was first thought.
-The glulam portals inside the Trafalgar Centre are brittle and need strengthening.
-The foundations in the main stadium need to be tied together with new tie rods.
-In the Southern Extension, the existing brace does not align with the ductility performance required and needs replacing.

Council also voted to accept the recommendation to demolish the Northern Building (including the main entrance, kitchens, toilets and the Victory Room) and replace it with a more functional fit-for-purpose northern building.

Design work will now get underway for this aspect of the upgrade, and will be reported back to Councillors by September.

Mr Kirby says the main building of the Trafalgar Centre and the Southern Extension should be open and ready for business by the end of March 2016, and the northern building by the end of June.

The Trafalgar Centre would be available for bookings (under a limited capacity until the northern building is complete) from the end of March 2016.

ENDS

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