Without any looming deadlines relating to major events, why are we rushing to upgrade the old Green Point stadium, based on a flawed Record of Decision? It remains impossible to get any plans or diagrams or visualizations from the City of Cape Town, in terms of what exactly is being planned for this venue.
Several issues have not been considered;
- Have the WP Athletics Federation supported this venue as the premier location for athletics?
- Do synergies exist with sports federations for the inclusion of this venue as part of a High Performance Plan or Centre?
- Can the venue easily be expanded for future national and major events? Seating 6,000, how will this venue seat 20,000 or 40,000 in future?
- Should we not commission a site selection study to determine the best site for a long term athletics venue for Cape Town?
- With the cost estimated at R70 million (likely double), should we not be investing in a long term vision for an athletics venues rather than a quick-fix solution to satisfy a ROD, known to all as being flawed.
- Given the steep gradient of the first tier, is an expansion even possible, and does the existing grandstand lend itself to an enclosed bowl?
- How does the investment in this old structure support a major events strategy?
- Given the constrained spatial parameters of the site, is the City of Cape Town committing to building a different athletics stadium for larger events?
- Have the experiences of other cities in building an athletics venue(s) been considered?
There is no looming World Cup, or Olympic Games, so why should we rush into making a decision around a venue which could form the centrepiece of a potential Commonwealth or Olympic Games bid. We would instead support incremental investments in a long term site or venue, which allow for an easy temporary expansion for larger events. When cities plan correctly, the site for future venues need not be determined or dictated by those in control of mega-events e.g. FIFA.
