Better streets & spaces  |  14 Mar 2019

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The two remaining stands at Lancaster Park stadium are coming down.

Work is underway to remove the rest of the Paul Kelly and Deans stands at Lancaster Park – the final step in the earthquake-damaged stadium’s deconstruction.

The roofs of both stands were removed last year and the Tui Stand at the southern end of the stadium was also demolished last year. The Hadlee Stand was demolished in 2012 for safety reasons.

Christchurch City Council Project Director Lee Butcher says two 25 tonne excavators are currently making openings in the lower parts of the stands to allow bigger machines to move in and pull down the rest of the stands once the tops are off.

“We’ll crane off the very top of the stands and two 50 tonne machines will munch the rest of the stands,” he says. “We’re using this technique to try to minimise noise and disruption to businesses and residents in the area as much as possible.”

All the concrete from the stands is being salvaged, with plans to truck as much of it as possible to Lyttelton Port Company for its land reclaim project. At least 400 tonnes of concrete are expected to be removed from the site each day. Around 35,000 tonnes of gravel, waste, concrete and steel have been removed during the deconstruction so far.

It is expected the deconstruction of the remaining stands will be complete in December this year.

Head of Parks Andrew Rutledge says seeing the remaining stands come down will no doubt be an emotional time for many Cantabrians, as it is for him.

“The park was the site of many sporting clashes and some unforgettable concerts over the years and we’ve had a lot of feedback from the public since the demolition began about their memories of the site.

“It’s definitely an emotional time for me personally as I have a long association with the park. My first real job in the parks sector was as an assistant turf manager back in 1987, the same year as the very first Rugby World Cup.

“This is the end of an era for the Lancaster Park site.”

He says Christchurch City Council is currently looking at options for redeveloping the park for community sporting use and recreational purposes.

“We will be exploring ways to ensure the rich sporting history can be acknowledged for future generations,” Mr Rutledge says.