DScene, 29 August 2008
Lumbering civic leaders are finally fronting on how much the stadium land grab is costing ratepayers.
But don’t hold your breath for the fine print.
The gross amount to secure the required Awatea and Parry Streets properties for the new $188 million stadium is $32.58 million – as tipped in D Scene earlier this month.
The total includes freehold purchases, buying out perpetual ground leases, severing tenancies and paying business relocation costs.
Rugby Heaven, 29 August 2008
An $188 million stadium for Dunedin is closer after the city council said it had acquired all the land needed for the project for more than $32m.
The original budget for land acquisition was $20m, and Carisbrook Stadium Trust chairman Malcolm Farry said the task was more difficult than expected, “probably through a mixture of optimism and naivety”.
Council acting chief executive Kate Styles said the $32.58m spent was slightly misleading because some of the land would be sold to the Crown for the realignment of State Highway 88.
She expected the final figure to be between $20m and $22m after land sales.
Project opponent Stop the Stadium, which was formed last month and has more than 1000 members, said the council had paid too much for the land.
Otago Daily Times, 29 August 2008
The next stage of multimillion-dollar spending on the Awatea St stadium project - payment for the purchase of land at the site - has begun.
The Dunedin City Council announced yesterday it had approved deposits on the leases and land for the project.
Five purchases had occurred on July 31, with the rest of the settlements to be on October 31 this year, and October 31 next year.
The gross cost of the purchase of freehold land, buying out leases, severing tenancies and relocating businesses was $32.5 million.
That is above the original $20 million budget for the land, but Carisbrook Stadium Trust chairman Malcolm Farry said the sale of surplus land bought should make up or better the difference.
DCC Website, 28 August 2008
On 30 June 2008, the DCC approved the payment of deposits on the leases and land in Awatea and Parry Streets required for the proposed stadium, associated University buildings and the realignment of State Highway 88.
Settlement of five purchases occurred on 31 July 2008. Further settlements will occur on 31 October 2008 and 31 October 2009.
The payments were for a mixture of freehold title, ground leases, tenancy terminations and relocation costs.
About two thirds of the land will be used directly for stadium purposes and about one third will be used for University purposes, open plaza space and the realignment of State Highway 88. It is expected that there will also be some land available for resale or development in support of the purposes defined in the change proposed for the district plan.
» Related item: Excess Land Purchased Around Stadium Site, Channel 9 news, 28 August 2008
TV 3 News, 28 August 2008
Backers of Dunedin’s waterfront stadium to replace Carisbrook say the project is on track after securing all the land needed for the development.
That is despite growing opposition from one anti-stadium group, who claim it is a project Dunedin cannot afford.
There is no sign of diggers, but those behind the proposed ‘Otago Stadium’ insist their plans for a 2011 opening are on track.
After months of negotiations with different land owners and leaseholders, the stadium trust has purchased all the land it needs, and more.
“We’re really quite proud of the fact that we’ve managed to pull together over six hectares of land, under one ownership now, and we’re going forward,” says Malcolm Farry of the Carisbrook Stadium Trust.
» Read more here and watch video…
Channel 9, 28 August 2008
The Dunedin City council made public today some of the details behind the acquisition of land for the proposed Awatea Street stadium.
Excess land has been purchased around the stadium site, putting the land costs 10 million dollars over budget.
DScene Says, 7 Aug 08, Insider, p. 13: Help us put two and two together
The land deals for the proposed Awatea Street Stadium are about as transparent as Beijing on a bad day.
And with an estimated $32 million of ratepayers’ money used to secure the properties, that’s simply not good enough.
DScene is pushing to get important details of the stadium deals–but so far have been rebuffed.
» Read the full Opinion piece here