The proposal to upgrade Eden Park includes a retractable roof and increased seating. Photo: David Rowland/Photosport
Despite Auckland Council saying neither proposal for a CBD stadium or upgraded Eden Park is viable, some councillors are confident they will pick an option.
Councillors will vote on Thursday whether to endorse one of the two competing stadiums.
A report released on Tuesday said both of the stadium proposals were not viable for different reasons but primarily because they were considered unfeasible without public funding.
But Waitākere Ward councillor Shane Henderson, who is leading the council's stadiums working group, is still confident they will end the decades long stadium debate.
"I am suggesting by the end of Thursday we will have a preferred stadium option for Auckland.
"I think the public would prefer us to pick one," Henderson said.
The fact both proposals would rely on public funding is an aspect that has disappointed the Waitākere councillor.
"We've been very clear with this process that rate payers funding is not on the table, that remains our position.
"To have a report that says they'd be seeking it is disappointing because honestly, we're saying it's not on the table and you need to look at other sources."
Henderson said they could still put forward a preferred option and that he was leaning towards Eden Park.
Manukau Ward councillor Alf Filipaina said amendments could be made during Thursday's presentation to councillors.
"Well, I mean the opportunity is there.
"The presentation will be put in front of us then there'll be questions.
"And then you starting looking at, I wonder what people are going to do, and that's when the amendments may come up.
"You may find they may change, I don't know, I haven't spoken to any of the other councillors or [Mayor] Wayne Brown or his office."
But Filipaina said Auckland Council "needs to come to a decision" after decades of debate around Auckland's stadium strategy that stretches back to 2006.
"I recall there was a meeting in Pukekohe in 2012 around stadia and this is in this Auckland Council's time and I remember that.
"Yes, it is time," he said.
"I hope we make a decision because we come to move forward instead of going backwards here, do this, do that, we just need to make a plan around the stadia.
"And in particular around the two which are going to be presented on Thursday."
Eden Park's so-called 2.1 upgrade would include a retractable roof and increased seating.
It was "technically feasible, but is not currently financially feasible because it relies on significant public funding," advisors said in the report.
"We can stage that build and in their case it's purely a financial issue and for me it's more viable," Henderson said.
The winning proposal will need a simply majority from the 20 councillors and the mayor.
"There is a chance there's a draw, after two long years of work but I'm strongly suggesting to my colleagues that we do pick a lane because Aucklanders are kind of sick of this after decades of debate.
"They want us to have an option that we can say this is our one and we're moving forward," Henderson said.
The central Auckland option, Te Tōangaroa, is an ambitious $1 billion proposal for a new 55,000 seat stadium in Quay Park.
But the council's early report said Te Tōangaroa "had not demonstrated that their proposal was technically or commercially feasible at this stage" and had suggested it needed more time to do so.
Waitematā and Gulf ward councillor Mike Lee said despite the Te Tōangaroa being in his ward, he did not think debate around Auckland's stadiums should be a priority.
"Auckland and its ratepayers have much more important priorities in terms of infrastructure, transport, water and waste water, to be sparing money on these stadiums.
"We have a perfectly serviceable stadium in Eden Park... it may need extra spending but I don't believe that spending is a priority for the people of Auckland right now.
"We've already been told that Auckland has more stadia that it actually needs and yet we have these proposals which are costing millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars," Lee said.
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