Cheaper Eden Park upgrade confirmed

The Government has confirmed a cheaper upgrade of Eden Park for the 2011 World Cup, with 50,000 permanent seats, and at least 10,000 temporary seats.

On balance this is probably the best decision, as I blogged last week. It is a pity there wasn’t more advance planning so that options like Carlaw or North Harbour could have been properly evaluated.

I do note however that last week the TV leaked story (which came from the Government) talked of a $50 to $100 million cost for the cheaper option. This $190 million cost is a lot more than that and the full permanent 60,000 seat option is only double instead of triple that.

But how often will Eden Park have more than 50,000 people wanting to attend?

The interesting detail for me, is who pays for it. How much will ratepayers and taxpayers be putting in, as opposed to NZRFU etc?