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

Watching cricket at the magnificent Bay Oval, an experience only compromised by the very evident salt works next door, it occurred to me that its location would be ideal for Tauranga’s boutique stadium, a home ground for the BOP Steamers and venue for concerts and music festivals.

On the other side of Totara St is what I understand is the coal importing shed, a facility that should no longer be needed when coal-fired Huntly becomes obsolete, so an ideal relocation for the salt works being port-side.

Bay Oval has a capacity of 10,000, so a boutique stadium of similar size should work logistically. Sharing facilities with Bay Oval, along the shared boundary, would allow permanent toilet/hospitality/bars to be used by both venues. With the high-performance centre, the Steamers, NZ Sevens, Tauranga Hockey, and other sporting codes already located in Blake Park, there would be an opportunity for further synergies.

I don’t know if this is a new idea, or has been considered before and rejected, but if not, shouldn’t the council, Port of Tauranga, and Dominion Salt sit down together and work out if a legacy project in this location could be a possibility, and a win for Tauranga!

Peter Haywood, Otūmoetai.

*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.