Monday 17 June 2013

Testing starts at Nga Puna Wai to assess athletics track suitability

Geotechnical testing will start at Nga Puna Wai next week to see whether the land is suitable for a new artificial athletics track for Christchurch.

The Council’s 2012/13 Annual Plan and the Draft 2013-16 Three Year Plan includes provision for investigations and construction of an athletics track to replace those lost when QEII was demolished following the earthquakes. The loss means the city no longer has an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) compliant athletics track and has made it difficult for athletes to train locally.

Nga Puna Wai – a reserve and retention basin area adjacent to Canterbury Agricultural Park – has been identified by the Council as one location to investigate further. Geotechnical testing is being undertaken to see whether the land quality is viable for an athletics track. Land tested will be returned as close to its original condition as possible and no other changes will be noticeable apart from disturbed top soil.

Recreation and Sports Unit Manager John Filsell says the work will start on Monday 24 June and is exploratory only at this stage, with a final report about Nga Puna Wai’s suitability for an athletics track due back to elected members by the end of the year.

“The final decision on the site for the development of an athletics track will be made by the full Council. If the site is approved, Council staff will work with current users of Nga Puna Wai who may be affected to look at other options for continued delivery of their services. ”

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