Re: ‘Look at domain space in 50-year lens! (The Weekend Sun, letters page 32, August 11).

Tauranga Domain is the last green space available in a future planned high density living city centre. Magnificent mature trees provide shade and oxygen, an absolute pleasure to behold, walk or sit beneath. A world class athletics track, lawn tennis courts that take many years to establish.

Why another stadium when we have Baypark Stadium for rugby playing, purpose built with roof, exhibition spaces and ample carparking?

The proposed Boutique Stadium can only hold 7000 permanent seats, and a further temporary 8000 seats on the roof and with no carparking.

Costs outweigh its benefits according to the Boutique Stadium's own Preliminary Business Case. The Boutique Stadium will cost more than $220 million dollars with a 50 % probability that it will cost more. Each year the Boutique Stadium will run at a loss of $15 million dollars, which ratepayers will be liable for.

All Councils have signed a LGFA (Local Government Funding Agency) agreement putting ratepayers up as surety and collateral to guarantee the city's debt. If, or WHEN the TCC becomes bankrupt, it is the ratepayers' homes that will be taken by the central banks. Ratepayers have not consented to be guarantors and would evict the council if they knew this.

This may be the final catalyst to claim back our city from greedy corporate property developers and unelected, agenda driven Commissioners!

Margaret Colmore, Oropi.

*TCC's Commission Chair Anne Tolley responds to the above letters: The Commission believes the community stadium concept has sufficient merit for it to progress to full community consultation through the draft 2024-2034 Long Term Plan consultation process, which will take place in November/December this year. We encourage everyone with a view about the proposal to consider the information that will be provided in the LTP consultation document and then make a submission for the commissioners to consider.