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The main stand at New Plymouth's 25,000-capacity Yarrow Stadium is to be demolished and rebuilt to accommodate the needs of a range of regional and community sporting organisations.

With both the main/East and the West Stand deemed to be earthquake prone and currently closed, Taranaki Regional Council’s revised $50 million refurbishment and repairs project for Yarrow Stadium aims to restore it as the region’s premier venue for top-level sport.

Advising today that the master plan would avoid a stand-alone training centre incorporating community facilities and amenities, as had originally been put forward, Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) Chairman David MacLeod stated “we’re going for a venue that’s fit for a wider range of users and scale of uses.”

MacLeod said the New Plymouth District Council, which operates the venue had been fully consulted, along with Sport Taranaki and the rugby union, and he was confident they understood and supported the TRC’s approach.

As reported by the Stuff news website, MacLeod went on to say that while the West Stand is to be repaired, the rebuilt East Stand will become a “flexible” facility to benefit not only rugby, but a range of regional and community sports, adding “the rebuilt main (East) Stand will provide amenities for outer fields as well as the main field, and have flexible and scalable seating capacity so it can cater for events and fixtures at all levels.

“The aim is for the venue’s total seating capacity for top-level events to at least equal what previously existed.

Before the East Stand is completed, TRC hopes first-class rugby will kick off at the stadium in mid-2021, with spectators watching from the repaired West Stand.

MacLeod also hopes that the refurbished venue’s flexibility will benefit all users, and facilities in the new East Stand, including public toilets, changing rooms, showers and food and beverage areas, will be available to users of the outer fields without the need to open up the entire stand or the rest of the stadium.

In a statement, Sport Taranaki Chief Executive Michael Carr said the remodelled plans for the Yarrow Stadium site would strengthen Taranaki’s sporting network and fill a different need than the proposed New Plymouth Multi-Sport Hub.

Carr advised “it was vital everyone continued to work together to ensure the redeveloped Yarrow Stadium was part of a strengthened network

While the project’s $50 million budget remains unchanged, Yarrow Stadium rates will reduce by at least 40% from July next year as a result of $20 million funding injection for ‘shovel-ready’ projects from the New Zealand Government’s Coronavirus stimulus.

Yarrow Stadium was first opened in 1947 and underwent major redevelopment ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, when it hosted three games. The primary tenant is the Taranaki representative team which plays in the Mitre10 Cup.

It has also hosted All Blacks Test matches and Lions tour fixtures over the course of its history.

Physical works will begin this year on repairs to the West Stand, along with preparations for the refurbishment of the main pitch, installing LED pitch lighting and demolition of the East Stand. Work will also start on a design for its replacement.

Tenders to repair the West Stand will be announced soon and work will commence before Christmas.

Images: Yarrow Stadium from the aire (top) and the plan for the refurbishment of the venue (below, credit: Taranaki Regional Council/Supplied).

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