The Devonport Flagstaff Page 5
May 6, 2016
Alternative sites for artificial soccer field considered Doubt has been cast over the provision of a new artificial-turf field at Allen Hill stadium. Auckland Council officers are looking at alternative sites, such as Belmont Intermediate School grounds, Becroft Park in Forrest Hill and Taharoto Park in Takapuna, the Flagstaff has learned. A $2.4 million upgrade for the grounds of North Shore United, a soccer club bursting at the seams with nearly 1,000 members, had been approved by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board last year. But it has since been challenged by a group of neighbouring residents. A contamination test of the soccer ground soil is also under way, to determine whether artificial turf would be a safe playing surface
at the park, says Devonport-Takapuna Local Board (DTLB) chair Joseph Bergin. DTLB member Mike Cohen says that even though the board’s plans have in theory not changed, there is “no question that there is a heightened uncertainty around this now.” He says no one had spoken to the soccer club about it yet. Elaine Sawyer, a spokesperson for the residents opposing the development, says her group was in “ongoing dialogue with council representatives” on the matter and was waiting to hear the outcome of the engineering and contamination reports. Any proposal to reallocate the funding to another field would be “controversial and political,” says Bergin.
North Shore United says it is in desperate need for the artificial turf to accommodate ever-growing numbers of young and older players. The club had 950 members last year. A dearth of quality nearby fields makes it impossible to accommodate all players for games and training sessions, regularly sending local families as far as North Harbour Stadium to play. United representative Steve Browning says the club is aware that council is progressing with contamination assessments, which have to happen before a resource consent for the artificial turf is granted. It is also appropriate for council to continuously review how it spends public funds, he says.
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