Holland Heineken House will open in Richmond as planned during the 2010 Winter Games, a spokesperson said this week.

"We are currently negotiating with all relevant parties and are confident everything will work out fine," Norbert Cappetti told The Richmond Review.

A published media report Monday suggested Heineken could pull the plug on Holland Heineken House, an Olympic Games mainstay for the Dutch and their fans.

Organizers have been planning to use Minoru Arenas for the house, transforming the double ice rink into a Dutch social centre during the Games and giving the city's O Zone celebration site another drawing card.

According to the Vancouver Sun report, which doesn't cite a source, organizers are having trouble getting necessary government approvals.

The city is reportedly insisting the house's equipment, which is being brought here from the Netherlands, be approved for use in Canada first. It's also insisting plumbing and gas lines be designed for permanent, not temporary, installation.

But city spokesperson Ted Townsend said the report is "full of inaccuracies," adding the city is working to expedite all approvals.

"Holland Heineken House is going to be the major attraction of the Richmond O Zone, and certainly the city is not about to do anything to jeopardize the success of the O Zone given the amount of money that we have invested in it."

Plumbing plans have yet to be presented to the city, said Townsend. As for kitchen equipment and arena modifications, Townsend said the city is simply asking Heineken's licensed consultants to agree they meet health and safety standards.

"As long as they can certify that public safety isn't going to be jeopardized...we're prepared to accept that. That will really expedite the process of getting approvals."

Holland Heineken House is also finding a challenge in getting a liquor licence. It hopes to be able to serve beer to 4,000 people nightly in its Medal Ceremony Hall and stay open from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.

But provincial liquor authorities are insisting the party be smaller, according to the report.

Federal officials are reportedly also causing regulatory headaches, insisting all jobs at Holland Heineken House be posted for two weeks.

As The Richmond Review reported earlier, Heineken is bringing a crew of 300 staff to operate the facility, half of whom will be volunteers.

Heineken's Cappetti admitted organizers have faced "some challenges" in getting the right approvals in time for the conversion project, but said he's confident any problems will be resolved "in a satisfactory way for all parties."

"One of our primary objectives is to fully comply with the local rules and regulations," he said. "What we strive for is a mutually positive result. We are very confident that this process, the constructive contacts with all stakeholders, will result in a grand opening of Holland Heineken House on Feb. 11 welcoming the Dutch sport scene and Orange fans."

As for the possibility of a scaled down venue, Cappetti said he believes the house will be able to accommodate the number of visitors originally planned.