Battleground over Hagley Park development

GEOFF LONGLEY - The Press

Last updated 05:00 15/01/2011

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DEAN KOZANIC/The Press

BANKED UP: Canterbury captain Peter Fulton hits to the legside during a first-class match against Auckland at QEII's Village Green. Canterbury Cricket chief executive Lee Germon says the bank at the proposed test venue at Hagley Oval would not be as high as the one at the New Brighton venue.

A proposed development at Hagley Oval will enhance the ground, not detract from it, Canterbury Cricket's chief executive Lee Germon believes.

He rejects public criticism of plans to build an embankment at the southern end of the ground and replace the existing Old Boys Collegians pavilion with a bigger facility to bring the ground up to the standard required to host test matches.Canterbury Cricket has been without a venue of that quality since leaving AMI Stadium in 2005 when it was converted into a rugby-specific ground ahead of the Rugby World Cup.Germon said there had been misinformation circulating about the proposal."I would just ask that people reserve their judgement until all the facts are in front of them," he said.

That is likely to be later in the year, when a public consent hearing should be held. Canterbury Cricket and the Christchurch City Council are finalising their plans for the ground and these should be presented to councillors late next month or March.Germon said an embankment at the southern end of the ground would not block any views into the park from passers-by."It is only going to be a gently sloping, low-rise bank, not as high as the one at the QEII's Village Green. It would be more akin to the one at Rugby Park," he said.There were already other banks in the park, including by the netball courts, which caused no offence, Germon said.Initially Canterbury Cricket had investigated upgrading the existing OBC pavilion to international standard, but the building was in some disrepair and it was more effective to replace it. That would meet International Cricket Council specifications in regard to changing room sizes and facilities for officials and the media.Several options are being considered and Germon confirmed that any building erected would be larger than the existing one.However, there was allowance in the Hagley Park Management Plan for a building to be constructed "in keeping with the the character of Hagley Oval".A significant modern structure was built on the Hagley netball courts in the 1990s.The size of the cricket building had yet to be determined and Canterbury Cricket was still in talks with the council, Germon said.Initially, Canterbury Cricket tried to secure the Canterbury Horticultural Centre building, a former base for Canterbury Cricket.That plan was shelved and the Canterbury Horticultural Society is likely to remain."That would be hosting a test match and some Canterbury games," he said.There would be a maximum of 10 days a year when the ground would be used with fencing and temporary seating, Germon said.The temporary fencing and seating would be removed immediately after cricket matches and would not be an eyesore, he said.A traffic study showed that hosting matches at Hagley Park would not adversely affect traffic flows or parking. Several options existed as possible car parks in the ground, he said.Hagley Oval was the game's spiritual home and a central base would help draw people backinto the city, Germon said..The former New Zealand captain said there was a perception that Canterbury could just "rock up" to QEII Park and stage a test match but that was untrue.Neither the ground nor the pavilion there met the stringent ICC warrant-of-fitness standards for hosting test cricket. Grounds of smaller size that had previously hosted test cricket had been exempt from the recently introduced ruling."Unfortunately, the boundaries at QEII are not big enough and would require the bank having to be levelled and pushed back."The pavilion is barely up to first-class standard for the size of dressing rooms, let alone test level," Germon said.A study showed it was more cost-effective to develop Hagley Oval than to upgrade QEII Park or build a new ground at Curletts Rd, which had been a previous proposal, he said.The council's grant of about $1 million that had been earmarked was only to cover on-ground work, such as the embankment and wicket-block development, he said.Canterbury Cricket had established a trust to raise the $3m for the pavilion, Germon said.