Top lawyer urges halt on Western Springs plans amid legal challenge
- Auckland Council is set to proceed with public consultation on plans for Western Springs.
- Billionaire couple Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams propose a new stadium against Ponsonby Rugby Club’s concert venue plan.
- The Western Springs Speedway Association wants to halt the process until legal challenges are resolved.
A top lawyer today called for Auckland Council to halt public consultation on plans for Western Springs until a legal challenge to move the speedway from its home of 96 years is determined.
At a governing body meeting set for tomorrow, Auckland councillors are expected to approve public consultation on plans between a 12,500-seat sports stadium and a Ponsonby Rugby Club/music promoter proposal.
Billionaire couple Anna Mowbray and former All Black Ali Williams are involved in a self-funded consortium for the new stadium, community sports facilities, a high-performance centre, and hospitality.
They are up against the Ponsonby Rugby Club, which has teamed up with two music promoters to build a Hollywood Bowl-style live concert and festival venue, a 5000-seat boutique stadium, and a multi-sport community hub.
A third option is to do nothing or explore other ideas, which could involve Ponsonby Rugby.
The council told the Herald the report for tomorrow’s meeting is now publicly available and staff do not intend to change the agenda item.
“The governing body will be asked to decide whether to proceed with public consultation on three options for the future use of Western Springs Stadium, following an expression of interest process that was run by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU),” a spokesperson said.
In a letter to the council today, the barrister for the Western Springs Speedway Association (WSSA), Bronwyn Carruthers KC, said: “It is clear the only prudent approach at this time is the third option (not progressing further with the expression of interest process) until the judicial review proceedings have been determined.”
Last month, the association lodged a judicial review at the High Court in Auckland over the lawfulness of the council’s decision last October to move the motorsport from Western Springs to Waikaraka Park in Onehunga.
Carruthers said that of the three options, none involved keeping speedway at Western Springs.
“While the report suggests that the retention of speedway could be considered under option 3, that would not be the outcome if the council decides to consult on the ‘options identified’,” she said.
Carruthers said if the council decided to proceed with public consultation, the retention of Ponsonby Rugby Club, speedway, and concerts/festivals must form part of option three.
That would be a “fair and reasonable” approach before any consultation takes place, she said.
A report by officers on the Western Springs process touches on the judicial review, saying “litigation gives rise to uncertainty in the decision-making process and may have financial and reputational implications” for the council and TAU, the council body that oversees stadiums.
WSSA spokesman Jason Jones said the judicial review aimed to overturn the council’s decision, go back to square one, and hold a fair process.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.