Racers in action at the Western Springs Speedway before it was recently closed down. Photo: Photosport
Western Springs Speedway did not give Auckland Council's economic and cultural arm any proposals on options for future use of a stadium on its grounds.
However advocates say they will still get to be heard.
The last meeting was held at the speedway earlier this month.
The council completed two confidential workshops last week, going over two options for the future of Western Springs Stadium.
One option put forward by from CRS Records Limited, Eccles Entertainment and the Ponsonby Rugby Club would include installing a permanent full concert stage and surface in the main bowl, enhancing the terraced seating, and installing improved hospitality infrastructure, as well as building a new multisport community hub.
The second option - put forward by MWF NewCo - was for a privately funded precinct, and featured a brand new 12,500 seat stadium alongside community sport, high performance, med-tech, hospitality, and live entertainment facilities.
But speedway advocates were still fighting for Western Springs Speedway to remain where it is.
The controversial decision to evict the speedway and relocate the club south to Waikaraka Speedway was made under vote by the Auckland Council late last year.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited chief executive Nick Hill said the council was investing in the new location for speedway.
"Speedway had the opportunity to put up a proposal - they didn't," he said.
"The council's investing 11-million [dollars] into Waikaraka park to consolidate all classes of speedway at Waikaraka Park, so speedway does have a solution in Auckland."
Hill said the challenge with keeping speedway in Western Springs Park was that it limited the stadium's use, particularly in the summer months, saying concert promoters could use the stadium better without the speedway there.
"Certainly our view is that it's a better use of facilities without limiting the ability for Speedway to put on events in Auckland."
Hill said the Tātaki board would consider the two proposals for Western Spring Stadium and give recommendations to the council's governing body, after which councillors would decide whether or not to go out to public consultation.
Western Springs Speedway Association spokesperson Jason Jones said the current promoter of the speedway had already agreed with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited to move to Waikaraka Park, before the expressions of interest opened.
"And during that process, what had happened is that Speedway wasn't specifically mentioned, other that the current promoter was negotiating a contract, or an extention of that," he said.
"So if you read into those words, why would you apply?"
Jones said they would still have the opportunity to present their proposal to Auckland Council in May, the same time the Governing Body was expected to decide on whether to proceed to consultation.
"In terms of having to move a project forward with a decision, we totally understand that that's part of the process," Jones said.
"Our concerns are obviously about how that process has been carried out, and how we have been left out of the decision making which our future depends on."
Councillor John Watson said the process with the speedway had been biased and predetermined.
"The real questions have to be asked now about the legitimacy of proceeding to this expressions of interest decision given that everything else that's happened before it has been so poorly executed in terms of obligations under the Local Government Act."
"I think their only option is to go back to the start," Watson said.
He believed a middle-ground between speedway and a stadium option could be reached.
"I think there definitely is a middle-ground, particularly with the decision now to go ahead with recommending Eden Park, which upgrades that facility, and really if money is being invested in Eden Park, some of these other franchises now will have a really superb state of art facility that hosts from boutique type crowds to big sell out crowds.
"That decisions been made to back that, so really that has some impact on Western Springs..."
Auckland councillors voted last week to endorse a staged redevelopment of Eden Park over a waterfront stadium.
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