Fletcher boss raises Eden Park doubts

The head of New Zealand's largest building firm has warned organisers of the 2011 Rugby World Cup that decisions on rebuilding stadia need to be made shortly or they will not be completed in time.

Fletcher Building's chief executive Jonathan Ling also told the media after the company's annual shareholder meeting in Auckland that the $190 million redevelopment of Eden Park and transport links in the city were of particular concern.

"We're getting to a point that unless some of these key projects are started soon they physically won't get finished in time for the World Cup," Ling was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Press Association on Tuesday.

Fletcher's are one of the bidders for the redevelopment of Eden Park. A decision on the successful tender will be made in early December with work to begin next August.

"Unless a decision is made shortly then no construction company will want it because it won't be able to be finished in time."

New Zealand was awarded the hosting rights for the event in 2005 with a commitment to upgrade Eden Park, to an International Rugby Board-mandated minimum capacity of 60,000 at a cost of about $325 million.

However, the government said its preferred option would be to build a new $500 million stadium on Auckland's waterfront to take advantage of the central city's rail and bus links and hotel accommodation.

Local government leaders rejected that option and scaled back plans to a $190 million upgrade of Eden Park.

In September, the Auckland City Council conditionally agreed to a $30 million funding commitment to the redevelopment of the park along with a further $20 million for transport, amenity and design improvement to the neighbourhood.

That expenditure, however, has been called into question with the election of new Auckland mayor John Banks, who has said he did not expect residents to foot the bill.

Christchurch's Lancaster Park is also expected to be revamped, while a new all-purpose stadium has been proposed for Dunedin, with an eye to both hosting matches in 2011.

Source: tvnz.co.nz