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A group of pro-Eden Park residents say nearly all members surveyed support the stadium’s offer to approve concerts.
The Eden Park Residents Association (EPRA), one of two rival groupings near the suburban location, said in a hearing that only five of the 103 who responded to its poll opposed the Eden Park Trust Board’s plan.
“It is time to move with the times, it is absurd that Eden Park does not perform concerts,” said one respondent at the EPRA presentation.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Eden Park is in the suburbs of Sandringham and wants to organize six concerts a year.
The board of trustees wants to be able to host gigs as of right, rather than the current regime that it hadn’t tried to navigate, requiring a full planning process for each proposed gig.
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EPRA said it had members in 214 households near the stadium in suburban Sandringham, and most were excited about the concerts.
The association also highlighted a UMR poll commissioned by Eden Park in 2018, which showed 87 percent support for six concerts a year, and an unscientific door-to-door survey conducted by Things reporters in 2019, who found 79 percent support.
On Thursday, another local group, the Eden Park Neighbors Association (EPNA), told the audience that sport, not concerts, was the reason the stadium existed.
EPNA President Mark Donnelly said that in addition to the noise of concerts, the time spent setting up and taking down stages would displace sports codes for days.
On Wednesday, former Prime Minister Helen Clark, who has lived several streets away since 1981, told the audience that the concerts “would represent an invasion of noise” and should not be allowed.
JASON DORDAY / Things
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark makes her presentation opposing Eden Park’s attempt to host up to six concerts a year.
Auckland City Council planners support the implementation, as long as conditions are placed on noise levels and outages.
“There are notable positive effects, particularly at the regional level, in terms of social, economic and cultural well-being, which must be balanced with the adverse effects identified,” said lead planning specialist Hayden Wadams.
Wadams noted the load on the surrounding areas and that the proposal “pushes the limit of what can be tolerated in this environment” as a basis for conditions on noise levels and disruption.
“The proposal is generally consistent with the AUP [Auckland Unitary Plan] objectives and policies related to the use of the main recreational facilities, ”he said.
EPRA supported the terms offered by the board of the trust, including the construction of an acoustic barrier at the eastern end of the Dominion Rd site, and restrictions during the installation of the sets.
“Is [concerts] it will have a positive impact on the vitality of our neighborhood; Furthermore, in a city that suffers from a lack of infrastructure, we should use more Eden Park, ”said a member of EPRA at the presentation.
Three independent commissioners have been hearing evidence for five days.
