Western Province’s hopes of selling Newlands are reportedly set to receive a major boost after a 93-page independent report found the bid to have the stadium declared a heritage site met none of the criteria.
According to a report by the Daily Maverick, Heritage Western Cape will meet on Friday to discuss feedback on the future of Newlands.
This comes after a consortium that included former Springbok Wynand Claassen sought to have the stadium declared as a heritage site, which would prevent its sale and redevelopment as real estate.
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When Western Province Rugby was put under administration by SARU in October 2021, one of the major tasks assigned to the designated administrator Rian Oberholzer was to finalise the sale of Newlands. This is a crucial step towards the union’s survival as it would allow the WPRFU to pay off its debts.
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A major boost towards Western Province’s plans comes as an in-depth report by Bridget O’Donoghue presented to Heritage Western Cape found that there were no grounds to have Newlands declared a heritage site.
“Based on the findings of the study, the demolition of the Newlands Stadium, like the demolition of many other historically significant stadiums in other parts of the world, would not represent an irreplaceable social loss,” the report said.
“While Newlands does hold special memories for many rugby supporters, for the current generation the future of rugby is already associated with the Cape Town Stadium.
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“The most effective way to preserve these memories and the history of the site would be to establish a rugby museum on or near the current site of Newlands Stadium as opposed to retaining the stadium itself. The existing Mill House would appear an appropriate building for such a museum.
“A number of interviewees indicated the survival of the game, and the Western Province Rugby Football Union should take precedence in any decisions regarding the future of Newlands Stadium.
“This reflects the situation faced by other sports clubs and unions that have taken the decision to relocate and use the sale of their old premises to fund the move and/or the construction of a new facility.”
Read the full independent report here!
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