Land purchase brings Stratford Park project another step closer to realisation

Members of the Stratford Park Steering Committee and Taranaki Motorsport Facility Trust with Jim and Nola Gilbert. Photo / supplied

The Stratford Park project has taken another step forward with the purchase of a further 14.5 hectares of land.

On July the Taranaki Motorsport Facility Charitable Trust will take ownership of 14.5ha of land adjoining the Stratford A&P's property. Both parcels of land and a further adjoining block are to form part of the Stratford Park project, a joint venture with the Stratford A&P Society and the Taranaki Motorsport Facility Charitable Trust.

The search for land has been a 10-year journey for the trust, and the recently formed joint venture has given the trust the support it needed to acquire the land. The land was purchased from Jim and Nola Gilbert, a couple who have long been "huge supporters" of the project, says Stratford Park chairman Philip Macey.

"Jim and Nola have been huge supporters of the project and share our vision. We thank them for their support in achieving our goals."

The Stratford Park will be a unique multi-events facility comprising of motorsport, equestrian, education, community and events facilities.

Within the motorsport facility, there are plans for a drag strip, speedway, circuit (rally and tarmac), museum and workshops. A key part of the complex will be a driver training facility aimed at all forms of vehicles from motorbikes to heavy vehicles and forklifts.

The plans for other areas of the park include educational facilities, play areas, museums, equestrian facilities, walkways and commercial areas.

The Stratford Park will ultimately be governed by a board of directors, representing the two owners. At this stage, the project is being managed by a steering committee headed by chairman Philip Macey and made up of representatives from the key potential facilities operators.

Whilst the land purchase is a significant event, it is only one of many things achieved by the steering committee over the past year. Despite the limitations imposed by operating in a world of Covid, the committee have been working hard to create a solid foundation for the project to be built on.

In the last year, the park committee has also finalised a founding document that the key partners have signed up to. This document sets out the rights and responsibilities of all parties and their commitment to the project.

The committee has also established a relationship with WITT and along with local Iwi are exploring the possibility of collaborating on the project.

Recently, an economic impact assessment on the proposed facility indicated it could provide over 200 fulltime jobs and would bring an additional $36 million into the Stratford economy.

Currently, funding has come from the Stratford District Council and from private individuals. Further capital raises are going to be needed as is access to local and central government funding for the project to continue to develop.

In the short term, the recent land purchase will be used for farming purposes whilst these further funds are raised. The Stratford Park will also look to develop part of its southern Flint Rd site, which will allow the equestrian facility to move from its current site to a new purpose-built facility. The equestrian facility will initially focus on replicating existing facilities but will look to further expansion as funds are available.

Running alongside this project will be the creation of the initial driver training area on the land vacated by the equestrian facility. Developing education facilities is a priority of the project and the project is working with WITT and other interest parties to explore opportunities.

Many other projects are in the initial planning stages and over the coming months, the Stratford Park will seek feedback from the community on these projects to determine their priority and key features.