Western Province Rugby’s pathway to the sale of Newlands Stadium is set to be cleared after a Western Cape Heritage committee decided not to declare the grounds a heritage site.
According to a report by Die Burger, the decision still needs to be ratified by the HWC’s board, but the Inventory, Grading and Interpretation Committee decided after a meeting on Friday that Newlands does not meet the criteria to be declared a provincial heritage site.
During Friday’s meeting, submissions were made by former Springbok Wynand Claassen, who submitted the original application to declare Newlands a heritage site, as well as the Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU).
Earlier on Friday morning, it was revealed that an independent 93-page report by Bridget O’Donoghue presented to HWC found that there were no grounds to have Newlands declared a heritage site.
MORE: Newlands ‘not a heritage site’
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.
“We hope that the recommendation will be accepted so that we can continue to finish the stadium matter,” Oberholzer told Die Burger.
Photo: Gallo Images
