The removal of the Golden Bay grandstand will begin on Monday 11 June.

The Tasman District Council has engaged contractors to remove the building. The demolition will take place in accordance with the conditions set by Heritage New Zealand, with an archaeologist overseeing the work. Security fences will be installed around the work site to ensure public safety while the removal takes place.

Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorne said the grandstand’s removal would allow the remaining works needed for the Rec Park Centre development to be completed and the building to gain Code Compliance.

“The fact the facility is already being well-used and participation in several sports codes is growing shows how greatly needed it is.”

Richard said while he was sympathetic to those who have fought passionately to retain the grandstand, there had been several opportunities over the past year to negotiate a restoration proposal with the Council that could have allowed the two buildings to co-exist.

The time had now come to accept the two groups were unable to reach an agreement and the grandstand would be removed as planned and widely consulted on since 2013.

“We have been very clear from the start of this debate – which only began once construction on the new facility was underway - that any plan to keep the grandstand must not jeopardise the completion of the $4 million community asset the District’s ratepayers and the Golden Bay community has invested in. The Environment Court decision in 2017 upheld our ability to remove the grandstand and noted its loss must be balanced against the considerable gains to the community that the new facility would bring.”

ENDS

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