Dunedin will have a new test cricket venue at the University Oval as part of a $5.02 million redevelopment announced yesterday.
A new sports complex at Logan Park is the result of more than three years of planning and negotiations between the two major players, the Dunedin City Council and the University of Otago.
The long-awaited announcement was made at a Civic Centre function last night, attended by about 50 people, including representatives from the council, university, sports groups and funding agencies.
University Oval Development Committee chairman Judge Oke Blaikie unveiled the redevelopment plan, saying it would be a major undertaking on what was a "famous part of New Zealand".
Judge Blaikie said the project would proceed, although the $5.02 million was "not in the bank". A fund-raising team had a $2 million goal to reach.
Work on the new wicket would start within the next few weeks, and the entire redevelopment should be completed by February/March next year.
A first-class cricket venue, suitable for tests, will be established on the current oval site. One-day internationals and some provincial matches will still be played at Carisbrook.
The oval site will continue to serve as the home ground of the University of Otago Rugby Football Club, while providing a new home for Otago Cricket.
The former art gallery building will undergo a $2 million overhaul.
It will provide a base for the University of Otago Rugby Football Club, which currently has its clubrooms in the grandstand. It will also be home to a new university student sports centre, the Highlanders rugby team, and continue to accommodate the New Zealand Academy of Sport.
The grandstand, which was declared unsafe in 1997, will be overhauled and brought back into use. Plans for its upgrade include corporate boxes, lounges, new changing rooms, medical and media facilities and administration offices. Kitchen and toilet facilities will also be provided.
The council will take over the University Oval and the grandstand, while the university will own the former gallery building.