Gold Coast boutique stadium: Council set to consider first report on stadium locations
Council has short-listed three potential locations for a new boutique stadium for the Gold Coast - with one considered the frontrunner. SEE THE LOCATIONS
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GOLD Coast leaders will get their first look at a proposed $60 million boutique stadium as Mayor Tom Tate declares it to be central to the city’s COVID-19 recovery.
A confidential report on the project will be presented to councillors in late October, revealing proposed locations for the venue, which is expected to host everything from football to Esports.
Cr Tate, who has long championed the project, said planning for the city’s post-COVID-19 future was critical.
“A stadium which will an 8000-12,000 seat capacity is becoming a reality and council has now intensely investigated thoroughly for a location which would be the best fit,” he said.
“ I am looking forward to the results of this finding and to make this project come to fruition and it will need industry input to ensure it is financially viable.
“Once we can make it viable to investors then it will have a good chance of going ahead but there is excitement for this project in the city and it is all about planning and getting ready for the post-COVID world with investment.”
Cr Tate said the project would require a public-private partnership to become a reality.
There has been growing calls from the sports and business community to build a boutique undercover stadium to host events which do not require a full-sized arena like Metricon Stadium.
Under a plan put forward by Cr Tate as part of his successful re-election push:
● Council would contribute city-owned land and road infrastructure while the private operator would be given a long-term lease and fund the construction of the complex. Council would retain the right to use the venue for city events on a certain number of days each year.
● A short-list of three sites, in Parkwood, Southport and Miami. The Miami depot is considered a frontrunner given its proximity to Pizzey Park which is about to undergo a $20 million makeover.
● It would have a partially retractable roof and be convertible to host everything from to soccer, rugby union, basketball, car shows and large-scale conventions.
Cr Tate has previously indicated plans to approach the state and federal governments to assist in funding upgrades to road infrastructure around the site of the stadium.
It was revealed in December 2019 that the State Government had held early talks with Live Nation, one of the world’s biggest music promoters to build the stadium on the Coast.
PREVIOUSLY: PUSH FOR THREE STADIUMS
SPORTS Gold Coast is pushing for not one but three new multimillion-dollar boutique stadiums to be built across the city.The sports advocacy body wants a “world-class stadium” with a seating capacity of 5000-8000 people to be built on the central Gold Coast.
Two other stadiums with seated capacities of 5000 people would also be built to meet future needs under their proposal, located on the southern and northern ends of the city.
Sports Gold Coast’s aspirations for the trio of new venues to be constructed was outlined at the Reimagine Gold Coast business and industry forum in August.
Gold Coast City Council Mayor Tom Tate said in March that a site for a $60 million, 8000-seat boutique stadium where “Caxton Street meets the Staples Centre” would be decided by the end of the year as part of a public-private partnership.
Cr Tate said at the time: “Six months from the (council) election I want to have a site selected, get the user requirements sorted and have the project ready for tender and an architectural design competition which could launch at Christmas.”
Six months has passed and Cr Tate has been asked to outline progress on the proposal.
He indicated coronavirus had thrown a spanner in the works.
“This is still very much on my agenda but as with everything this year, COVID-19 has delayed the process,” he said.
Still, Cr Tate said there had been “a number of productive meetings with interested parties”.
Cr Tate added he was “very confident of a private-public partnership arrangement”, but he did not say when that might occur.
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In March, the pandemic was escalating in Queensland and Cr Tate said the situation made it clear the city needed to broaden and diversify its economy to host a wider range of events.
The proposed stadium would feature a partially retractable roof and be convertible, allowing everything from sporting fixtures to entertainment and conventions to be hosted inside.
Sports Gold Coast chairman Geoff Smith said the construction of the initial boutique stadium could create new jobs to help rejuvenate the city in the wake of the global pandemic.
“With the pandemic and the economy taking a nosedive we do have to get ready, get projects under foot to create jobs. There’s definitely an opportunity there,” he said.
But Mr Smith said the facility must be created in a “smart and strategic way” to ensure it meets all the needs required for events more suited to smaller stadiums.
“If it’s going to be boutique it has to be state-of-the-art. There has to be so much technology put into these stadiums to make sure they don’t become obsolete in a few years time.
“It’s quite incredible, you do have to invest quite a bit of planning and money into it.”
Cr Tate has outlined three site in Miami, Parkwood and Southport as potential locations in his stadium proposal.
Originally published as Gold Coast boutique stadium: Council set to consider first report on stadium locations