The Waimakariri District Council team has reached an agreement with the Cust’s Domain Advisory Board to develop two football fields in the domain, between Oxford and Rangiora.
The agreement will allow Oxford’s growing soccer club to expand beyond its Axford ShowGrounds base, with the council’s Greenspace team agreeing to change one of the two proposed football fields farther from the equestrian arena.
The club failed to reach an agreement with the Equestrian group of Cust, which was concerned about “high energy sports,” as if football caused extra anxiety by horses.
The Rangi-Ashley Community Council discussed the matter at its February meeting with the chairman Jim Gerard, asking the board team to meet both clubs to find a solution.
Board’s vice -president Kirstyn Barnett said the Custus community considers the land available only for “informal sports.”
“We used to have a cricket club, but now it is mainly used for athletics, cross-country and more informal sports.
” Therefore, the idea of putting two sports fields for formal sport in the domain was contested by the community, as it was very intensive to the type of activity we have there.
“I think that’s why we got so much negative feedback for the proposal.”
She is satisfied with a commitment, but it was not a long term solution.
“The domain is in the middle a flood of flooding to a river valley that floods, so it is not a very good place for formal sport continuously.”
Greenspace board team manager Grant MacLeod said Mandeville, near Rangiora, has the potential for future development and can be an option in the future.
He said the advice will help the soccer club at the cost of updating lighting on the ground for night games.
The Equestrian group of Cust is the main user of the domain and has a license to occupy the far north since 2008, where it has developed an equestrian arena created for this goal.
Oxford Football Club has established a temporary soccer field at the opposite end of the domain last season.
The rapid growth in the last two years means that the club has surpassed the site of Oxford ShowGrounds.
The club plans to make two night races during the week and up to 10 home games on Saturday afternoons in the domain.
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