Maroc - TIMBERBIZ.COM.AU - A La Une - 17/Sep 00:56

Macquarie Point stadium scrapped

Plans for a multi-purpose $715-million sports stadium at Hobart’s Macquarie Point which would have featured the largest timber roofed stadium in the world appear to have been scrapped. Source: Timberbiz A panel set up by the Tasmanian Planning Commission on Wednesday morning recommended parliament reject the $1bn-plus project, concluding: “The benefits are outweighed by the disbenefits …The Panel recommends that the project should not proceed”. Construction of the venue is a condition of Tasmania’s licence for AFL and AFLW entry in 2028. “The panel has concluded that the benefits are outweighed by the disbenefits,” the report said. “Proceeding with the project will give rise to irrevocable and unacceptable adverse impacts on Hobart’s spatial and landscape character, urban form and historic cultural heritage,” it says. “In addition, the project represents a significant net cost and will diminish the economic welfare of Tasmanians as a whole, and it offers almost no scope for the site to become a vibrant active place that is attractive to visit outside of major event mode. “In very simple terms, the stadium is too big for the site and the benefits it will bring are significantly outweighed by the disbenefits it creates. “The panel’s cost benefit analysis shows that the construction and operation of the stadium results in a substantial net social cost to the Tasmanian community. Among the other findings: The size, shape and location of the site is ill-suited to a building like the stadium – a singular, large, bulky monolith which will overwhelm those surrounding buildings and the setting. Proceeding with the project will give rise to irrevocable and unacceptable adverse impacts on Hobart’s spatial and landscape character, urban form and historic cultural heritage. The panel has concluded that the adverse effects are unacceptable. The project will not be a ‘fair’ development in that it (principally parts and features of the stadium) will extensively and irreparably damage the historic cultural heritage of the heritage listed buildings in Hunter Street and the Engineers building, and most particularly, the Cenotaph. The project represents a significant net cost and will diminish the economic welfare of Tasmanians as a whole, and it offers almost no scope for the site to become a vibrant active place that is attractive to visit outside of major event mode.   The concept designs were completed just eight weeks after Australian firm Cox Architecture, which has been involved in Australia’s last four major oval stadiums including Perth Stadium and the redeveloped Adelaide Oval, was awarded the $37.9m contract as the lead architect in early May. The fixed, dome-shaped roof was an important part of the design. “The transparent roof, which is supported by an internal steel and timber frame, provides an opportunity to showcase Tasmanian timber,” Tasmania’s Sport and Events Minister Nic Street said when the plans were released.