CHRIS VAN GASS AN ATTEMPT by a Cape Town environmental group to stop the demolition of the Green Point stadium and clear the way for its use as a construction yard for the new 2010 World Cup stadium failed on Friday to get a hearing in the Cape High Court.
The Cape Town Environmental Protection Association (Cepa) sought an urgent interdict on Friday, but after consultation with Judge Ben Griessel in chambers, lawyers agreed with the city council that the application was brought at “unreasonably short notice”. A new application would be made on Monday, Cepa said. Unfortunately, by the time Cepa brings the application on Monday, the old stadium will have been flattened. The stadium, to be used as a construction yard for the building of the new 68000-seater stadium about 500m away, is already 75% demolished, and with teams working flat-out on Saturday and Sunday, the stadium will most probably be history when Monday comes. Council spokesman Peter Cronje said on Friday that the demolition had been in the public domain since January, and that “the horse has already bolted”. Cepa lawyer Geoff Carter said the association would pursue its application, and would spend the weekend preparing documents to seek an urgent interdict on Monday to stop the demolition of the old stadium, the second court bid the group has made in two weeks to prevent the World Cup 2010 stadium project from proceeding. Cape Judge-President John Hlophe is still deciding whether to put the review application brought by Cepa on April 3 on the “urgent” roll of the High Court. He said if Cepa managed to halt construction of the stadium, at least R500m in direct costs for construction and design would be lost. It would also jeopardise the R10bn public-sector expenditure linked to the World Cup, as well as “considerable” private-sector investments. With the clock ticking for the 2010 spectacle, any delay in construction could mean a serious setback for completion of the stadium, which is scheduled to host a semifinal match and at least eight other games, as it is already running on very tight deadlines set by Fifa for completion by October 2009. Cronje said the council was proceeding with construction in terms of a provisional authority from the city building plan director which entitled it to excavate, divert electrical boxes and pour foundations. He said the demolition of the old stadium and the building of the new stadium were not linked, and were subject to two separate council decisions. According to Cronje, “the only link is that after demolition the old stadium will be used as a construction yard for the new stadium”. | 
