Western Springs main stadium remains closed after flood damage, outer fields open for business

Ponsonby Rugby Club will not be able to use their clubroom facilities and will only have limited access to playing facilities within the main stadium. Photo / Photosport

Auckland Council has confirmed the main stadium area at Western Springs will be closed for events for at least three more months due to the extensive damage left by the Auckland Anniversary floods.

However, The Outer Fields at Western Springs, where My Chemical Romance and Pasifika are due to perform, are mainly untouched and can go ahead as planned.

Many areas of the main stadium area are unsafe due to subsidence, earth movements, and/or contamination, according to Tātaki Auckland Unlimited’s operations staff.

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited director of Auckland Stadiums James Parkinson said the decision to close the main part of the stadium for general event access means that Western Springs is unable to host speedway events for the balance of the season and that Ponsonby Rugby Club will not be able to use their clubroom facilities.

The rugby club will also only have limited access to playing facilities within the main stadium.

“The assessments so far, and ongoing uncertainty around underlying causes for some of the damaged areas of the site means that, for health and safety reasons, we have had to make the difficult decision to suspend general access to the main stadium site,” Parkinson said.

More than 600mm of contaminated floodwater flowed through the main building, including the Ponsonby Rugby Club clubrooms, leaving them uninhabitable and unusable.

The primary power feed for Western Springs was extensively flooded and the power to the main stadium area has been damaged beyond repair, Parkinson said.

Throughout the main stadium, including the parking lot area, there have been numerous slips in various spots and significant ground movement. Until final engineering and geotechnical investigations are finished, all of these affected places have been deemed unsafe.

Parkinson said the operations team is doing everything they can to get more certainty around the repairs needed and the timings for reopening.

“We know this is an extremely challenging situation for Western Springs Speedway and for Ponsonby Rugby Club. We are working closely with both organisations recognising that the situation is causing uncertainty and concern.

“We appreciate their understanding while we undertake further engineering assessments and measures to ensure the safe operations of our main stadium area, and to replace the power feed and secure it against future events of this nature.”