The show must go on

By Anél Powell

THE partial demolition of Green Point Stadium is going ahead, despite the threat of legal action by the Cape Town Environmental Protection Association.

Sean Flanagan, group executive director of Murray & Roberts, who with WBHO (Pty) has the R2.85 billion contract to build the new stadium, said yesterday that work on the site was "quite advanced".

He said the earthworks on the Metropolitan Golf Course, where the new 68 000-seat stadium will be built, was "going well" and almost done. This included excavations and the diversion of bulk services from the area.

Turf has been removed from the golf course, and some of the grass will be replanted in city parks.

"The next thing is the foundations. We are advancing and we are very happy with the work that is being done." The partial demolition of the existing stadium had already begun.

Flanagan said the contract for the complete demolition of the stadium was still being finalised. "The whole stadium will go ultimately. But for now, we are keeping parts of it for offices (for sub-contractors)."

Cronje said part of the existing stadium would be used as a construction yard while the new stadium was being built.

The contractors have an October 2009 construction deadline to meet, according to Fifa requirements.

But the latest threat of legal action, this time by a group of environmentalists, could mean a costly delay for the City of Cape Town.

The association is asking the court to set aside decisions by the city and provincial government, which it claims were pushed through without adequate public participation to meet Fifa's requirements.

They have applied for a Cape High Court interdict to halt construction of the semi-final venue.

Pieter Cronje, spokesman for 2010, said last week that construction on the site would continue even though the future of the stadium had yet to be decided in court.

The city's legal team is this weekend working through the two files of legal documents served by the environmental group.

Published on the web by Cape Times on April 8, 2007.