Eden Park's first concert backed six to one with submissions closing

Thursday, 12 July 2018

Sir Ray Avery and former prime minister Helen Clark have locked horns over Sir Ray's planned charity concert at Eden Park.

Public opinion is running six to one in favour of Eden Park's first-ever proposed concert, as the submission process prepares to close.

The latest breakdown from Auckland Council shows 296 public submissions in favour of the Waitangi Day charity event, and 51 against.

The park trust which is co-organising the event along with the Sir Ray Avery Foundation has on the final day of submissions, offered to set a noise limit, when its planning application is heard.

The trust said it was responding to submissions already lodged, many of which referred to noise from the proposed concert.

Philanthropist Sir Ray Avery hopes to raise funds to supply incubators to developing countries.

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'While games at Eden Park are disruptive enough, the noise from a concert is highly likely to be more so, particularly if continuing later and with no noise limit,' wrote one submitter opposing the event.

The highest-profile opponent so far is former Prime Minister Helen Clark who lives three blocks away from the stadium.

Helen Clark claims the trust is using the charity event as a 'Trojan Horse' to help its prospects of staging future concerts.

She said the trust was using Sir Ray Avery's charity event as a 'Trojan Horse' to help its prospects of being allowed to stage future concerts.

The concert, and an associated Telethon, aim to raise $4 million to supply Avery-invented incubators for premature babies to developing countries.

The context is the Eden Park Trust board's attempt to broaden its revenue-generating base in line with its legislated purpose, but which is constrained by planning regulation.

The stadium has traditionally been the home of rugby and cricket, but a change to its legislated trust deed in 2009 allowed it to embrace 'other recreational, musical, and cultural events for the benefit of the public of the region'.

However, planning controls in Auckland's Unitary Plan have previously thwarted attempts to go beyond daytime sport or a limited number of evening sporting events, with prescribed hours.

The plan allows the park to apply for up to six concerts a year, but each has to seek planning approval.

Feelings run high in some of the submissions lodged so far for the February 6 event.

'The benefit the concert can create outweighs the inconvenience to neighbours who also get the benefit of free music,' wrote one supporter.

'My reasons for submission was Helen Clark's disgusting posts on Twitter,' said another.

'We are a family of four with two children aged 16 and 14. Noise is a major concern for us,' said one opponent.

'I don't appreciate a charity event being cynically used to implement a new policy of music concerts for Eden Park. Dirty politics in my opinion,' wrote another.

A headline overseas act described as 'acoustic' has been booked but not named until a decision is made on whether to grant the event a resource consent.

Eden Park Trust wants the planning decision to go directly before the Environment Court.

Auckland Council is expected to decide in the next days whether to refer the application to the court, or deal with it itself.

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