Soac presses on with action against Arts Centre

Save Our Arts Centre (Soac) is continuing its High Court fight against plans for a national music school at the Christchurch Arts Centre.

It has dropped action against the Christchurch City Council to focus on its key argument that the Arts Centre Trust Board breached its powers when it changed its trust deed.

The council has agreed to fund the $24.5 million music school project.

Soac is also challenging an Attorney-General decision this week that cleared the trust board of any wrongdoing.

The group's lawyer, Jeremy Johnson, said he hoped a High Court hearing date might be set at a pre-trial phone conference on Monday.

The hearing would take about a week and include "fresh evidence" not in its High Court challenge late last year, when the court ruled a full hearing should be fast-tracked so it is held as close as possible to a resource consent hearing on the music school.

The consent hearing will start on February 15.

Soac spokeswoman Dame Ann Hercus said "good, sound legal advice" had convinced members they had "a good case" against the trust board.

The issue was "an incredibly important public policy issue" and a serious issue for all Christchurch citizens, she said.

Soac has denied any involvement in the alleged hacking of Arts Centre files and bugging of meeting rooms there.

The Arts Centre declined to comment.