Eden Park: Support and opposition to big concert plans

Wednesday, 30 October 2019

Eden Park is privately-owned but bills itself the National Stadium

The country's premier stadium, Eden Park, has drawn both support and criticism over its plan to break into the concert market by seeking a 'bulk' resource consent for six concerts a year.

'The tide is definitely turning, there's a definite groundswell of support compared with this time last year,' said Shona Tagg, a spokesperson for the pro-stadium Eden Park Residents' Association.

The debate around Eden Park is ongoing. Residents views. First published in Sept 2018

Another local group, the Eden Park Neighbour's Association is not so happy. 'Concerts have been declined multiple times in the past and so it's well proven that Eden Park is not suitable as a concert venue,' said Mark Donnelly, the president.

The stadium in suburban Sandringham is entitled to seek permission for concerts, but the cost and time involved for individual concerts has always been a deterrent.

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Its Trust Board has decided to seek the maximum number available for consents under the city's Unitary Plan, in advance of trying to secure deals with promoters.

The board believed noise levels would be the critical issue in getting a resource consent.

'It will come down to noise because everything else is the same (as for sports) - we have got well proven traffic measures, well-proven public transport, the thing about concerts is noise,' Doug McKay the board chair, told Stuff.

However, Donnelly, from the Neighbour's Association, said each concert would bring two to three weeks of major noise and disruption, which would force cricket and other sporting uses out, and impact local residents and businesses.

'Six concerts would take three to four months out of the cricket season – we're surprised Cricket have agreed to that.'

Support for Eden Park's concert ambitions is on the list of eight policies on which the Communities and Residents ticket is seeking to agree with the rival City Vision group, to break a deadlock on the Albert-Eden Local Board, where the groups hold four seats apiece.

The deadlock arose after October's local body election in which left-leaning City Vision lost its majority on the board, whose area includes Eden Park.

Centre-right C&R has proposed backing City Vision to nominate a chairperson to break the deadlock, but only if there's agreement on projects and positions the board will take this term.

The board was sworn-in on Tuesday night but unanimously adjourned the meeting until November 25, to allow further negotiation.

Eden Park did not appear to be a critical issue in the talks, and City Vision member Margi Watson said if the stadium was following the process laid down in the Unitary Plan, she was sure most members would support it.

C&R was right behind the stadium's concert hopes.

'In Kingsland a number of businesses only make a profit when there is something on at Eden Park - we 100 per cent support it and for Eden Park to be financially self-sustaining,' said C&R board member Rachel Langton.

Stuff conducted an unscientific survey in April, knocking on the doors of homes in the traffic management area around the stadium, and from 229 responses, 79 per cent supported six concerts a year.

Only 14 per cent of residents opposed the stadium being allowed to stage up to six concerts a year, without having to go through a full planning approval for each one.

'I completely support concerts being at Eden Park, it gets people excited, it gets our local bars and restaurants busy,' said Paice Avenue resident Hayden Marshall in April.

A vocal opponent of concerts at the stadium has been nearby resident, former Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Clark was unavailable for comment on Eden Park's latest plans, but formally objected last year to a proposed charity concert at the venue.

'It was there as a sporting venue. Concert applications have been consistently dismissed, and Mt Smart stadium is the obvious and well-accepted concert venue,' she said at the time.

Eden Park is the highest-capacity stadium in Auckland, able to seat up to almost 50,000, and is across the road from the Kingsland train station.

Stadium concerts have traditionally been held at council-owned venues such as Mt Smart Stadium, which is not well-served by public transport and its long-term future is in question because of the need for expensive refurbishment.

Western Springs has hosted Auckland's biggest outdoor concerts over decades but has no rail connection and is due to be redeveloped once the planned relocation of speedway is complete.

Eden Park's Trust Board believed the revenue that would come from concerts is critical to the stadium remaining viable and able to carry out upgrades and maintenance.

The stadium got a $63 million support package from Auckland Council this year, including loans and a $9.8m grant, to help with major maintenance.

Eden Park on Wednesday also received good news, with consent granted to stage its first-ever Sunday night cricket match, a Twenty20 game between the Black Caps and India, in January.