Northland Rugby Union chairman Wayne Peters is still celebrating after a controversial regional stadium was given the green light.
In a decision released to the public yesterday, independent commissioners granted the union consent for 11,000sq m of commercial retail and office space beneath a planned new south stand at Okara Park, Whangarei.
The new stand will form the main part of the almost $40 million stadium, which includes a $13 million ratepayer contribution through a Northland Regional Council regional recreation rate. Mr Peters was yesterday still examining the 35 conditions imposed by the commissioners, but felt they were satisfactory - indicating that the union was unlikely to appeal any aspects of the decision.
The deadline for lodging an appeal with the Environment Court is 15 working days from the release of the decision.
"I think this is a great opportunity for Northland in terms of recreation and sport. It's been a shame we have had so much criticism of the project from people who are either ill-informed or who haven't grasped the significance of what this means to Northland," he said.
The stadium plan has run into stiff opposition, and an earlier proposal, more costly to ratepayers, was thrown out.
A petition calling for a binding public referendum on the revised stadium project has attracted more than 2500 signatures in just over a month.
Clyde Korach, chairman of Respect Whangarei, a group set up in response to the stadium plan, said the group would meet this week to decide whether to appeal the decision to the Environment Court.
But Mr Peters said if Northland was to move away from the backwater it has become in terms of recreation and sport, it needed proper facilities.
"The region is very fortunate that the rugby union had the initiative to get this project off the ground. If it hadn't been for the rugby union pushing this, the chances are it wouldn't have happened," Mr Peters said.
The next step was an independent trust, and trust deed, to run the stadium, with October next year the earliest likely start day for work at Okara Park.
Mr Peters said the stadium would be unlike any other in the country because the retail aspect would guarantee its financial viability.
"Projections are that the retail and office space alone would generate about $2 million a year. And I'm very confident we've got a good tenant lined up. We won't build that development unless we get a tenant in advance," he said.
The stadium's north stand would cost about $10.6 million and have seating for about 8000. The south stand would cost $16.3 million, have seating for more than 5500, 5800sq m of retail space and 5510sq m of offices.
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