15 Dec 2016

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Christchurch City Council staff will prepare a report on options for demolishing quake-damaged Lancaster Park.

The report will also look at future uses of Lancaster Park.

Council staff have also been asked to begin working with Otakaro Ltd and Development Christchurch Ltd on developing a business case for a new multi-use stadium on an alternative site, with the aim of reporting back to the Council within six months. 

The Mayor and Councillors asked for that to happen after receiving a status report at the Council meeting today which showed the cost of re-commissioning Lancaster Park as a venue capable of hosting top international rugby tests would be in the order of $255 million to $275 million.

That cost estimate was put together by quantity surveying firm, Rawlinsons, who the Council engaged to conduct an independent review of all the investigative work done at Lancaster Park by the Council, its advisors, and its insurers to gauge the extent of the earthquake damage to the stadium.

Rawlinsons’ concluded it would be impossible to re-commission Lancaster Park as an operating venue for $50 million. It estimated repairing the damaged foundations alone would cost between $39 million and $49 million.

The epicentre of the February 2011 earthquake was located only about 6km south-east of Lancaster Park and caused significant damage to the stadium. The Hadlee Stand has already been demolished because it was considered unsafe and the remaining stands all have widespread, severe damage.

Council staff have been given a deadline of March 2017 to produce the report on the demolition options and possible future uses for Lancaster Park.