The draft 30 year plan has been prepared by consultants Maguire and Harford, alongside Council staff. The development has taken into account the outcome of the 2023 Utilisation Study, as well as discussions with key stakeholders and sports groups. Council’s Play, Active Recreation and Sport Strategy 2022 has also been considered during the development of this plan.

This plan has a number of significant projects and will have a significant cost. Projects will be staged based on need and what external funders can partner with Council to deliver the desired result. A number of the proposals within the draft plan are not currently budgeted for, however those that are included in the draft Long-Term Plan have been accounted for within the draft budgets. The pricing of individual projects will be included in relevant future Annual Plans or Long-Term Plans, so that construction costs can be as accurate as possible. Like with all major proposed Long-Term Plan projects, the community will have the opportunity to provide feedback.

Once Council has considered feedback from the community on the draft plan, a final version of the plan will be adopted with any changes made as a result of feedback received. The plan will then be used as a guide to inform future development at the EA Networks Centre and the surrounding land.

As particular projects become included in Annual Plans or Long-Term Plans in the future, it is likely that we will undertake formal consultation with the community to gather feedback on different options. Further details will be provided during this process regarding pricing and timelines to inform the consideration of these options. As previously outlined, we are seeking feedback in the Draft 2024-34 LTP on some projects.

Just like the first stage of the EA Networks Centre, future funding for development projects can be generated in a number of ways. They can be loan funded through rates, external grants from government and agencies, sport group contributions and community fundraising. Decisions on future development will likely be weighed up by the Council of the day using: evidence in the Utilisation Study 2023 or other relevant sources, community preferences, funding availability and constraints of the time.

This draft 30-Year plan includes development projects that will extend EA Networks Centre and also develop the surrounding land. Its brief is wider than the 2017 Sports Field Plan and also includes feedback received from the Utilisation Study and considers the use of additional land Council has since purchased. The 2017 plan started the conversation and included valuable soil analysis work which will assist with any future development.

Last year, the Ashburton A&P Association announced a plan to upgrade the showgrounds to create separate spaces for rugby and equestrian events. You can read more about this here.

Council wants to ensure that any developments that happen at the EA Networks Centre and surrounding land do not negatively impact on this project.

The EANC MasterPlan is a 30 year document that will be used as a guide to inform future development at the EA Networks Centre and the surrounding land. Apart from the projects included in the 2024-34 Long Term Plan, no other projects (including the sports field development and pedestrian walkway) have timeframes or funding identified.

In regard to the pedestrian walkway/driveway, this was included as it provides another option for people to access the sports field by foot. As Council is the sole owner of the driveway land it can, in theory, allow access up the driveway, including pedestrian access, without changing the legal status of the land. However, any action taken by Council could not obstruct the access for the two adjacent properties who have the benefit of a right of way easement over the driveway.

At this point in time, there are no plans to change the legal status of the driveway. If in the future, it was thought best to change the legal status of the land for a particular reason then, Council would undertake any necessary consultation with adjacent landowners at the time.

We cannot remove or alter these landowners' right of way easement access over the driveway without first consulting with them.