Potential cost overruns and building time frame concerns have put a line through the initial preferred site for the Tasmanian AFL club’s high performance centre.
The state government on Tuesday locked in Kingston Twin Ovals, south of Hobart, as the home for the $70 million facility.
It came almost a year after the government said Rosny Parklands, on Hobart’s eastern shore, was the preferred location.
“Rosny was announced subject to due diligence being conducted,” Sports Minister Nick Duigan said.
“Through the course of this work some risks were identified at the Rosny site that would have made it difficult to deliver in a costly manner and in a timely manner.”
The Devils are slated to enter the AFL men’s competition in season 2028 and are contractually obliged to have the centre completed by October 31, 2027.
Mr Duigan didn’t detail the projected cost of Rosny but said the amount of civil works needed at the site presented a “substantial” risk.
There were also concerns over potential federal environmental assessments required for the project to get the green light.
Tasmania Football Club chair Grant O’Brien said the Kingston centre, to be funded by $60 million from the state government and $10 million from the AFL, was the right call.
“We made the announcement, support for Rosny being the preferred site (but) the work showed very clearly where the site should be,” he said.
Two additional ovals will be built at the Kingston precinct, which has hosted pre-season AFL and A-League matches and is the training centre of the Tasmania JackJumpers NBL club.
The new centre will cater for the Devils’ men’s and women’s teams and youth programs and also act as an administration hub.
Design work was underway for the centre, which is expected to take two years to build.
Tasmania’s entry to the AFL is conditional on the construction of a 23,000-seat stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart which still faces planning assessments and must pass a vote of parliament.
Brendan Blomeley, the mayor of Clarence City Council which covers Rosny, lashed the government for a lack of communication.
“At no time was (Kingston) mentioned as the preferred site, and there was no communication from the department of state growth that there were concerns with Rosny,” he said on social media.
“It seems that the government and club has sacrificed the better location because they failed to accurately estimate the cost.”
Mr Duigan indicated he was comfortable with how the government handled the process, saying Rosny was always subject to due diligence.
Ethan James
(Australian Associated Press)