Mixed reaction to arena proposal

A $100 million rock arena proposed for Wellington has had a mixed reception from regional leaders.

The proposal was put forward last week after a Wellington City Council-commissioned review found the city lacked a mid-sized venue specially for rock concerts.

Potential sites are to be identified in a second report, but Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast said it could be built above the Westpac Stadium concourse, or on nearby waterfront land.

The 10,000-seat arena would be for the benefit of the wider region and all ratepayers could be asked to make a financial contribution. It could cost as much as $100 million.

Porirua Mayor Jenny Brash said she knew nothing about the arena proposal, and her council was already under pressure to fund basic infrastructure. "We haven't got a lot of capacity to fund anything else."

She said the situation was complicated by the new Te Rauparaha Arena, with its 3000-seat main stadium, which opened last week in Porirua. One third of the $17.5million arena would be funded through Porirua rates.

Lower Hutt Mayor David Ogden said his council did not fund big Wellington-based events and projects such as the International Festival of the Arts and the Karori Sanctuary.

"But if it could be proven that it [a rock arena] is a truly regional facility like the Westpac Stadium, then I think a case could be made for it to be funded through the region."

Mr Ogden said the arena could be funded through Greater Wellington regional council by a special rate.

The regional council already collects rates from all ratepayers in the region to pay for the Westpac Stadium.

Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said there was a clear need for a rock arena in the region.

"Anyone who lives in Wellington can clearly see that we are losing out very, very badly to Auckland now that they have the large [12,000-seat] Vector Arena. There is no question about that."

The Vector Arena has attracted some of the biggest international rock acts, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kings of Leon, since it opened in March last year. Kylie Minogue will perform there next month.

Mr Guppy said a cooperative approach was needed to find the most suitable place for an arena.

"If it is to be a regional approach, then where is the best place to site it? It might be the city, but it also might be Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt or Porirua."

Concert promoter Phil Sprey said the arena should be built on port land currently used to store logs, to the north of Westpac Stadium.

"You could bridge across to the stadium so it would become an annex to that facility."

He said the area above the Westpac Stadium concourse would probably be too small for a 10,000-seat concert venue and, if it was built there, mass congestion could ensue if concerts and sporting events were held at the same time.

Trains passing nearby could also pose noise problems during acoustic shows, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News