No promises have been made over a date when games will be played on the grounds.
The 20ha area, which was the old site of the town’s wastewater ponds, was zoned recreation in 2018 by the Queenstown Lakes District Council. It had been earmarked as the town’s next major sporting fields but the council, due to financial pressures, originally put work on the fields out to year six of its long-term plan — work due to finish next decade.
But neighbour Willowridge Development Ltd had contacted the council and offered to come to a commercial arrangement with the fields, using soil it needs to dispose of from its development property.
It had offered to dump 149,000cu m of soil on the Ballantyne Rd area as fill for the new sports field. The final development of the grounds would be undertaken by another operator.
Deputy mayor Quentin Smith said the offer from Willowridge was simply too good to turn down. If the council did not take that opportunity, it would be lost.
The council had to move forward more than $5 million from year six of the long term plan to pay for the refill.
Willowridge director Allan Dippie was keen to get moving on the development and said on Thursday the consents were ready to be lodged.
The council was more circumspect, and said in a press release the project to fill the ground could start in the middle of next year.
Mr Smith said there was money in the long-term plan which was earmarked for maintenance on current sports fields in Wanaka which could now be put to better use on the new Ballantyne Rd grounds.
The entire 20ha would not be delivered at once, he said.
They had done masterplans on how many fields could be situated on the grounds and it was between six and eight full football fields. Also included were carparks and changing rooms.
It was a big site and one that should cater for all sporting needs at the moment, Mr Smith said.
Council sport and recreation manager Simon Batterick said in a release that while there was no change in funding or timing to bring this open space up to the high standard required for community sports fields, this early work would provide a great foundation for their future development.
The proposed remediation, earthworks and grassing was expected to take between nine and 16 months once spades hit dirt, the council said.
