Hutt City Council is seeking a new operator for the Ricoh Sports Centre at Fraser Park.

Fraser Park is Lower Hutt’s largest recreational sportsground and the sports centre is an important regional and community multi-use facility.

Fraser Park Sportsville (FPS) who has held the lease for the operation of the centre with Hutt City Council has decided to end this arrangement for commercial reasons.

Mayor Campbell Barry thanked everyone involved for the past few years in providing sports and recreational activities and recognised the significant involvement and contribution of the eight Founding Member Clubs.

"Having spoken to clubs that use the facilities at Fraser Park Sportsville, we know how well-loved the hub is and what it brings to the Lower Hutt sports community.

"We need to allow the ROI process to be followed. We will continue to work together with the clubs at Fraser Park Sportsville as we go through this process."

Council Chief Executive Jo Miller says, "Council is now working through a process to help secure the future of the sports centre for our community. There are plans that we are working through with FPS to ensure a smooth transition, and I acknowledge the concerns held by some users about the uncertainty in the interim.

"Council and FPS have worked closely together to make the partnership a success however despite the best efforts and hard mahi from everyone involved, FPS advised Council that it could no longer responsibly (financially) continue to operate the facility beyond 30 September 2024."

A new operator for the Ricoh Sports Centre will be sought through an Expression of Interest process via the Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS). You can find the link to GETS here. The tender number to register is 29768082. Registrations opened at 5pm and they close on 9 August.

An independent panel will review applications and provide a report to Council considering the pros and cons of each. Council may also seek presentations from the leading applicants.

Council is looking for a new operator that can deliver broad community benefits from the significant investment it’s made in the building. The new operating model will need to be financially sustainable and reduce the current level of financial risk to Council.

More information about the change of operator for the Ricoh Sports Centre can be found on the Hutt City Council website.

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