New Plymouth Local

BROOKE BATH

Are you an elderly tenant looking to reside in close range to a funeral director?

Look no further, a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit in Auckland’s Mt Eden situated near a funeral director could be for you.

The private rental listing on Trade Me specified the ideal tenant would be “elderly” and said the property was “very handy to funeral directors at the end of street”.

TARYN UTIGER

A wish list totaling of $8.19 million has been drawn up for Taranaki’s Yarrow Stadium.

According to the Yarrow Stadium Strategic Plan 2015 – 2025, a total of at $8.19m should be spent on upgrades to the stadium to “maintain the stadium’s competitive advantage” and improve customer experience.

The upgrades that should be done before 2024 include redeveloping the upper part of Yarrow Stand or the TSB Stand, upgrading the TSB Stand Legends Lounge, upgrading the lights for fields three and four, replacing the current floodlights on the main field and developing an entranceway or Maratahu Streetscape.

Also included in the wish list is two developments that do not have a time frame yet. According to the plan these projects are reliant on securing funding from “external sources” and will be further considered in 2018.

The first of those is a $3.05m redevelopment that is pegged for field number two, including artificial turf and appropriate floodlighting, as well as work on the carpark, driveway and staff car parks.

Also, $925,000 is earmarked to develop new amenities to service fields two, three and four, with new storage areas and a relocation of the gym.

Yarrow Stadium is Taranaki’s premier sporting venue, located in Westown. The venue was first developed as a rugby ground in 1931, with the first stadium completed in 1947. Then, in 2002 the old Rugby Park was redeveloped to become Yarrow Stadium, at a cost of more than $17 million.

More significant enhancements were completed in 2010 before the Rugby World Cup, when the terraces were overhauled and seating placed at the southern end of the ground. This raised the capacity to 25,500.

The facilities now include two grandstands, main sand-based grass field, three other grass fields and a car park.

The property, which is owned by the Taranaki Stadium Trust, is supported by a dual funding partnership between the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) and the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC).

The TRC took control of the stadium’s trust in 2013 making it a council controlled organisation where the council is in charge of maintenance and development.

NPDC manages and generates the revenue and funds the operation of the stadium, while the TRC funds the long-term maintenance and development of the stadium.

At last week’s NPDC policy meeting councillor Keith Allum said he believed too much focus was being put on upgrading facilities for major events.

Instead, he would like to see money invested in upgrading the facilities that were used for local events and local teams.

“It would be nice to have high use of those fields two, three and four. Basically I would like to see the developments of fields two, three and four brought forward,” Allum said.

The strategic plan will be debated and voted on again by the NPDC on December 15. The plan is also before the TRC, who will then forward the plans to the Taranaki Stadium Trust and instruct them to provide the funding for the projects and major maintenance identified.

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Wish List: Major projects for Yarrow Stadium

2016/17
* $1.87 million – Redevelop the upper part of Yarrow Stand or TSB Stand to create increased hospitality space and new amenities area
* $300,000 – Redevelop outer areas where needed, to improve customer experience, including gate 1 configuration and main entrance arrival signage
* $400,000 – TSB STand Legends Lounge, sound proof partitions, upgrade toilets, bars, kitchen, ceiling, lights and memorabilia space.

2018/19
* $350,000 – Venue reception, entrance and heating upgrade
* $450,000 – Upgrade lights for fields three and four
* $545,000 – Replace the current floodlights

2019/20
* $300,000 – Review the layout of the public food and beverage area, if new Yarrow Stand amenities/corporate block is not built

2023/24:
* $468,000 – Maratahu St Streetscape/premier entrance development

Timing not determined
* $3.05m – Redevelop field number two with an artificial turf and appropriate floodlighting, including carpark, driveway and staff car parks.
* $925,000 – Develop new amenity facilities to service fields two, three and four, and new storage and gym relocation.

* Source: Yarrow Stadium Strategic Plan 2015 – 2025

Potential stadium events programme
* One All Blacks game every two years
* Five to seven ITM Cup games per season
* Two Super Rugby games per season
* One All Whites game every two years
* One A League game per season
* One to two NRL games per season
* Team Taranaki Football – home games
* Local sport code finals
* Club training/matches
* One on-field entertainment event

* Source: Yarrow Stadium Business Plan 2015

– Stuff

A New Plymouth store at the heart of a stoush between New Zealand’s two supermarket giants has been sold.

The former Woolworths supermarket, on the corner of Wallath Rd and Tukapa St, was sold on Friday.

New Plymouth real estate agent Robert Angus was in charge of the sale and said bids for the property closed last Wednesday after it had been on the market for about a month.

“There was a good groundswell of interest in the property,” he said.

He said the land, coupled with the buildings and carparking spaces, made it an attractive package for the buyer and the sale process had generated a lot of interest.

However, he would not say who had bought the property or how much had been paid for it.

The site has been surrounded in controversy since 2008, after Foodstuffs won a legal battle in the High Court to effectively kick Progressive Enterprises, the brand behind the Countdown supermarket chain, out.

From 1982, Progressive had operated the Woolworths store from the site but the property was purchased by rival retailer Foodstuffs in 2008.

What followed was a protracted legal battle over the rights to the land that was ultimately won by Foodstuffs.

In a High Court decision, Foodstuffs was granted the right to get rid of Progressive from the site when its lease came to and end in July 2012, so it could  build its own New World supermarket.

But  Progressive shut the doors on Westown Woolworths in May 2011 instead so it could build a Countdown supermarket in Spotswood. This was met by outrage by Foodstuffs management, who alleged they were blindsided by the move.

Despite Foodstuffs plans to use the site for a New World supermarket, which was proposed to be opened by the end of 2013, construction never eventuated. No explanation was given for the change in plans by the company.

The site has been vacant since Progressive moved out in 2011.

The Wallath Rd site has a captial value of $2.21 million and includes 6818 square metres of freehold land, 1760 square metres of building space and 80 carparks.

On Angus’ website, the land was pitched as ideal for either subdivision, re-development or an investment.

Angus said the new owner was due to take over possession at the end of October.

In June this year, Countdown opened its fourth  supermarket in the city in Vogeltown.

 – Stuff