Eden Park optimistic, wants robust evaluation

Eden Park optimistic, wants robust evaluation

Eden Park today welcomed the release of information about the waterfront alternative for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and news that Eden Park was still under consideration.

“We’re delighted about the Minister’s support for our new ‘completed’ design option, and are very confident in the quality and robustness of Eden Park’s plans and costings,” said Eden Park Chief Executive John Alexander.

“Now we’ll want to see if the Government’s numbers add up and if their promise that a waterfront stadium can be built in time is credible. We’ll be taking a good hard look at their proposals and we’re sure Auckland’s leaders will be doing the same.”

“There is a lot of water to flow under the bridge and we remain convinced that redeveloping Eden Park is still the cheapest, most practical and most risk-free option.”

“Our design is well-advanced, has been put together by world-leading stadium designers, and has been extensively refined following community consultation.”

“We have $150m of existing, state-of-the-art facilities that would need to be replicated on a greenfield site, and of course we’ve already got our foundations.”

Mr Alexander said Eden Park had been asked to make the expertise of its technical team available to local Government review the plans and costings for the waterfront option.

“Nothing we’ve seen today changes our belief is that a waterfront option will cost in the region of $1billion, plus extra for investment in local infrastructure upgrades. We’ll be asking international quantity surveying consultancy WT Partnership to go over the Government’s numbers with a fine-tooth comb.”

Mr Alexander said costs to upgrade the Kingsland Station and connection to Eden Park were $26m. “This pales into insignificance compared to what it will take to upgrade Britomart and Quay Street,” he said.

Mr Alexander said Eden Park had a business case that showed it would remain financially sustainable without requiring ongoing subsidisation after the Cup.

Mr Alexander said that even though Eden Park was well-prepared, it could not wait forever. “We have only 186 weeks till kick off and the clock is ticking.”

Correcting a Government statement, Mr Alexander said costs to relocate Auckland Cricket from Eden Park were inside both the $320 and $385 Eden Park redevelopment cost estimates, not outside.

Mr Alexander also said Eden Park challenged Government cost-per-seat stadia development figures of $6,000. “An international study by quantity surveying company WT Partnership has shown that new greenfields stadia with a capacity in excess of 50,000 cost on average $9,172.”

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