Auckland’s main stadium options have reached a feasibility stage with two of the proposed projects being preferred in a vote held at Auckland Council's governing body meeting yesterday.
The recommended options are for the Eden Park 2.1 (Eden Park Trust) and Te Tōangaroa/Quay Park (Te Tōangaroa Consortium) to be assessed against the status quo.
Eden Park 2.1 involves revamping the current stadium including a new North Stand; upgrades to the East and West stands; a new pedestrian bridge over Sandringham Road; and a retractable roof.
The Te Tōangaroa bid proposes a new 15ha urban neighbourhood at Quay Park, bordered by Spark Arena and Quay St, on Ngāti Whātua land, in the old Auckland Railways yard.
The feasibility studies are to be completed within a six-month time frame, at the two options expense.
The two options that didn’t make the cut were the “Sunken Stadium” bid and the Wynyard Point Stadium bid.
The group behind the Wynyard Point proposal said their bid had the benefit of its close proximity to ferry and bus services and Britomart rail station which could move 76,000 people per hour by the time the stadium was complete.
Councillor Shane Henderson, chair of the Stadium Venues Working Group, said: “The four shortlisted options demonstrated innovative ideas and a strong dedication to Tāmaki Makaurau and the unique qualities of Aotearoa, showcasing the calibre and vision needed for a major civic space like this."
“We have informed the unsuccessful submitters of this decision and I thank them for their innovative solutions and valuable input into this process.”
“The process so far balances the need to move swiftly so we can provide certainty for the participants in the process, while also ensuring any decisions are informed by strong expert input.”
The ideas submitted to the council for a national stadium required there to be little to no cost to ratepayers and could provide a “world-class future-proof multi-purpose main stadium that will deliver economic benefits for Aucklanders.”
Investment company Goldman Sachs was backing the Te Tōangaroa bid, although the train tracks were owned by Kiwirail and permission would be needed to build over them.
The protected viewshafts from the Auckland museum, along with the need to re-align Quay Street also needed to be considered.
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