Macquarie Point stadium should not proceed, TPC recommends

The Tasmanian Planning Commission has recommended that the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium should not be built.

The panel charged with assessing the project said that the project's disadvantages outweighed its benefits.

“The fundamental problem is the size, location and geographical features of the site, in its highly valued context, do not support the disproportionately large, monolithic building proposed,” they said in their final report.

“It is a building which is incongruent with the valued characteristics of its spatial context, completely at odds with the long-established planning principles guiding and informing development, and with the land and urban fabric surrounding the site and the heritage values associated with nearby places.

“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 also cited concerns about the financial impact the stadium would have.

“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,” they said.

“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 assessment is not binding, with both houses of state parliament having the final say on whether the stadium should be approved or not.