Wilson Parking has been granted resource consent for 582 car park spaces on the Christchurch stadium site for four years. (File photo)

Resource consent for a 582 car park spaces on the site earmarked for Christchurch's long-awaited stadium has been given to Wilson Parking for four years – though it may not operate for that long.

It will not affect development of the stadium, for which the Christchurch City Council has allocated the first chunk of funding in the 2020-21 financial year. Preliminary work has estimated construction costs ranging from $384 million to $561m.

Wilson Parking wanted the resource consent to run for five years, and are appealing the decision in an attempt to have it extended. Communications manager Anne-Marie Petersen said the company's planners had "pushed back" as it had invested in the site.

SUPPLIED The first chunk of council funding for Christchurch's proposed stadium is allocated in the 2020-21 financial year.

The council did not support the proposal, and wanted the consent to apply for three years, to encourage people to use private cars less often.

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The land is Crown-owned and managed by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), whose agreement with Wilson Parking is for only two years, and has a 30-day termination clause which either party can call on at any time.

IAIN MCGREGOR/STUFF Wilson Parking already has 361 parking spaces on the proposed Stadium site. (File photo)

The stadium is intended for the central city in a block of land bounded by Madras, Barbadoes, Hereford and Tuam streets. The area includes two potentially contaminated sites that Wilson Parking will have to lay a 300 millimetre-thick layer of gravel over to prevent any harmful effects on users.

Environment Canterbury records show one is a former Turners and Growers site, which held a 13,200 litre diesel tank that leaked 20 litres of fuel every time its fuel pump was used for about seven years. It was removed in the mid-1990's.

A council spokeswoman said Wilson Parking needed permission from the land owner to use the consent, which would determine when the stadium could proceed.

LINZ land and property manager Matthew Bradley said there was no concern Wilson's car park would delay the stadium as there was a 30-day termination clause in the license agreement.

"Wilson's are aware of this condition and have complied with these time frames as required in the past."

Petersen said if the area was needed for the stadium "we would envisage the car park closing".

The arrangement has not been passed on to Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Megan Woods.

A spokesman said Woods had not been made aware of the arrangement as temporary land uses of two years or less did not need ministerial sign-off. He said Woods would discuss this with officials.

Some of the area is already a Wilson's car park for which the permit has lapsed. The new consent would add 221 new parking spaces to the area.

Independent commissioner Ken Lawn made the decision on Wilson Parking's resource consent application. His decision said a four-year term was appropriate as it was long enough for Wilson Parking to recoup development costs but "may well still coincide with the development of the site for the stadium".

"That period recognises that the city is still in recovery mode, and will be for some time.

"It allows parking to be available until August 2022, which is beyond the 2021 date when many existing temporary consents will have finished."

An earlier report by Lawn (on whether the car park should be publicly notified) said he did not think the car park would delay the city's recovery as the stadium's construction relied on funding, and the car park's temporary use would have "no affect on any delay of that ... in my opinion".

The consent has several conditions including minimum surfacing requirements, fencing and planting, lighting and sealed entries/exits.