What next for Lancaster Park?

A report on the future of Lancaster Park is recommending it continue to be used for community use, sporting and recreational purposes.

The quake-damaged stadium at Lancaster Park is in the process of being pulled down, with the demolition work scheduled to be completed late in 2019.

The stadium at Lancaster Park is currently being demolished.

Now, the Council is considering what happens to the park once the demolition work is done.

Council staff have been discussing the future of the park with Ngāi Tahu, the Crown and the Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board.

They have come to the conclusion the park should continue to be used for sporting and recreational purposes, as required under the Christchurch City Council (Lancaster Park) Land Vesting Act 2008.

In a report prepared for next Thursday’s Council meeting, they say there is a shortage of parks in the communities neighbouring Lancaster Park and that they have already received approaches from local sports clubs who want the opportunity to use Lancaster Park for their games.

The report says the Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board also wish to retain Lancaster Park for community and recreation purposes.

Read the full report.

Lancaster Park was founded in 1881 as a home for cricket and athletics. It was initially privately owned, but in 1919 the Victory Park Act vested title to the land in the Crown, for it to be used for “cricket, rugby, and other sports, amusements, entertainment and events’’.

The land was to be held in trust for those activities in commemoration of the Canterbury soldiers who died in World War 1.

For many years the park was administered by the Victory Park Board.

However, when it became evident the Board did not have sufficient funds to redevelop the park, ownership was transferred to the Council through the Christchurch City Council (Lancaster Park) Land Vesting Act 2008.

If the Council was to decide now that it wanted to use Lancaster Park for purposes other than sport and recreation, it would need to seek an amendment to the Act.