Ashburton Showgrounds revamp revealed

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

A $600,000 revamp of Ashburton’s showgrounds has been revealed, with an aim to boost and improve usage.

And, all going to plan, big ticket events such as festivals, outdoor concerts, and major sporting events could be held at the site.

Ashburton A&P Association board chairperson and past president Richard Lemon said the concept plans were for “repurposing” areas to make the showgrounds more attractive to entice a greater number of events and users.

Over the past six months, Lemon and Tim Lovett, a fellow past president and current grounds manager, have been working on plans to redevelop the layout.

The association board and committee have backed the plans and the user groups were “99%” in favour, he said.

Stage one of the redevelopment would shorten the oval into a “rugby playing zone”, with the extra area created becoming a multipurpose space.

Three new specialised equestrian rings would be developed on the western side of the grounds.

There had been a perceived health concern with humans and horses sharing the safe grassed area, which would be solved by the redevelopment, he said.

The other aspect was damage from equestrian activities, maintenance for which cost $18,000 last year.

They also plan to enhance the dog training area on the western side where a clubroom and a toilet block would be added for use by both groups.

The plans also enable the showgrounds to be split in two so events could run independently on either side.

There were also plans for planting trees, new lighting, and a repurposing of the grandstand and changing facilities.

The initial focus was sourcing the funding for stage one – the ground redevelopments – with the cost estimated to be about $600,000.

“Half of that is just soil and sand,” Lovett said, adding it would also include an upgraded irrigation system.

There would be two additional stages and the total cost for the project was unclear.

Lemon and Lovett have presented the concepts to the Ashburton District Council, seeking its endorsement and signalling a future discussion on any possible financial assistance.

Mayor Neil Brown said the showgrounds were a community asset.
“It needs to be retained and enhanced and you’re doing that,” Bown said.

The council supported the plans, but a requested dollar figure would be needed for any financial assistance as it was heading into the long-term plan process at the end of the year, Brown said.

The annual income of the volunteer-run association was about $250,000, the majority of which relied on the annual two-day A&P Show and fine weather, Lovett said.

Maintenance and operations of the grounds and having a grandstand, valued at $5.2m and costing $25,000 annually on insurance, and running the show were the priorities, so they would also be seeking support from the community.