The Save the Basin Campaign supports Wellington City Council’s position in asking the government to have the consent application for the proposed Basin Reserve flyover heard by the Environment Court. History shows that Boards of Inquiry, with members appointed by the government, are simply rubber-stamping exercises for government policy.
In Monday’s Dominion Post Councillor Morrison was reported as saying that the Basin Reserve ‘desperately needed the $12m stand’ that would be built in a deal with the government to try and hide the flyover. But in official documentation, NZTA says the design of the building is not complete and is subject to the decision of the consent authority on the form of mitigation required. Does Councillor Morrison know something the rest of us don’t, or is he just trying to make himself look important again?
“There are three key things the public should know about the so-called stand,” said Save the Basin Campaign spokesperson Joanna Newman. “The first is that the government is not proposing to build a stand: it is a narrow building to accommodate players and officials, with no public seating. The second is that according to NZTA official documentation no decision has yet been made on the building as this is subject to the Consenting Authority confirming it is required for mitigation purposes. Perhaps the government has done another ‘Sky City’-type back room deal and Councillor Morrison has let this slip in his talk with the press.”
“Finally, Councillor Morrison has the cheek to say that the cricket ground is in real danger of losing its test match status if facilities are not drastically improved. The only reason this is likely to happen is because the Basin Reserve Trust, of which he has been a member for many years, has been grossly negligent in its management of the facilities. It has, for instance, let the Museum Stand deteriorate to a shocking state.”
“There has been far too much behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing when it comes to the proposed flyover,” concluded Joanna Newman. “It’s time for the proposal to be considered in an open, transparent legal process where arguments will be considered on their merits, not on the basis of who makes them.”
Joanna Newman
Spokesperson
Save the Basin Campaign
Phone 027 7577 984