Christchurch’s Lancaster Park to be retained for sport and recreation

Christchurch City Council has agreed that the site of the former AMI Stadium will be retained exclusively for sport and recreation after the completion of its demolition next year.

The Council yesterday agreed to redevelop the famed Lancaster Park exclusively for community sport and recreation after the earthquake-damaged stadium is razed.

With use of the land governed by an Act of Parliament requiring that it must be used for sport, recreation, entertainment and public assembly, the Council decided to avoid seeking an amendment to the act for it t be used for other purposes.

However, the exact use for the site is yet to be decided with several local sports clubs seeking to use the site.

Cashmere Technical Football Club and Lancaster Park Cricket Club have each made formal requests to the Council to use the land.

Christchurch Councillor Yani Johanson said there was a lack of green space and sporting facilities in the surrounding area, telling Stuff “having something in this area that contributes to people's wellbeing is really important. This is an area that has had huge intensification."

Detailed usage plans for the site will be developed and decided upon next year following consultation with the community and sports groups.

A Council report said the cost of retaining the land for sporting use was not known and there is no money budgeted for it, but suggested a possibility that any demolition savings be assigned to the site's redevelopment.

Demolition, which had been expected to cost $20 milion has since been revised to $12 million.

Cashmere Technical Football Club President Bill Cowen said earlier this week, the club, which had 1,400 players, was in desperate need for quality sports fields in its catchment area.

He advised that in recent years the Club had lost two fields at Linwood Park to make way for the temporary earthquake housing village and another two Linwood College lower fields, which were being turned into an urban forest to help drainage.

Lancaster Park Cricket Club wrote to the Council in 2017 to register its interest in returning to its "rightful" home.

The Club left Lancaster Park in 1996 after 115 years, when the venue became an exclusive home for rugby.

Image: Lancaster Park showing damage from the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.