Stadium demolition option only for 'lunatics'

IAIN MCGREGOR

COST CONCERNS: Dunedin stadium costs are now $260 million and rising.

Dunedin's mayor has said the city council only included an option to demolish the city's stadium to shut down "a lunatic fringe".

In an interview with Mary Wilson from Radio New Zealand, Dunedin mayor Dave Cull said demolition was included in a review of stadium funding, ownership and operation "to put to bed the frequent and strident claims of a lunatic fringe".

Cull described the opposing group as "a small vociferous band of critics all the way along through this process who have said it would be much better to knock [the stadium] over".

"So, we said 'okay, we'll look at that option, we'll cost it, and that should put it to bed once and for all'," he said in the interview.

As it turned out demolition proved unworkable economically, Cull said.

City councillors are to gather for an extraordinary meeting on Monday to discuss its recommendations out of the review, including one that ratepayers stump up 18.1 million extra over the next 10 years to keep the arena afloat.

READ MORE: Stadium under fire

Dunedin City Countil chief executive Dr Sue Bidrose is recommending another $1.81 million from ratepayers annually for 10 years to enable the stadium to operate on a financially sustainable basis.

Follow this link:
Stadium demolition option only for 'lunatics'