Roof, under-field carpark: What rebuilt Gabba will look like
What the $2.7bn rebuilt Gabba will look like has been revealed for the first time as plans to relocate nearby school students has come under attack.
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A rebuilt Gabba will have a raised playing field to allow cars to park under the stadium and will have a pedestrian bridge to the Cross River Rail and Brisbane Metro.
Details of the $2.7bn rebuild have been revealed for the first time, with the design also including a roof that will provide 75 per cent coverage for sports fans and a greater viewing experience for the 50,000 capacity.
The home of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games will also have better accessibility for elderly and disabled attendees and will preserve the Heritage listed buildings in the precinct including the former Woolloongabba Police Station and the East Brisbane State School.
Education Minister Grace Grace on Thursday morning confirmed students at the heritage-listed school will be moved nearly 2km away to make way for the rebuild, with a parent of a student at the school, Paul Gollan, saying the decision was “gut wrenching” and would cause major disruption for the community.
Mr Gollan slammed the community consultation process as a “sham”.
“You just felt like you weren’t being heard. It’s a really poor outcome for our community,” Mr Gollan said.
“For people who live around Kangaroo Point and the Storey Bridge who are in the catchment, it’s a massive impact for them.
“It will be about 4km for them which is a long walk.”
For the first time, details of the stadium have been revealed along with the three other options presented by sports venue designers Populous.
The first option, which will progress as the design for the $2.7bn Gabba, includes the full deconstruction and reconstruction of the stadium.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the rebuild was the best option during an estimates hearing on Wednesday.
“The project validation process considered what options were available then settled that the best outcome for the games and for the city and for the region is to redevelop the Gabba,” Mr Miles said during a grilling at estimates.
Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie interrogated the decision, saying a previous feasibility study suggested the Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast would be a less costly venue to host track and field events.
But Mr Miles, the Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympic and Paralympic Games Infrastructure, said the government had the support of key figures for the $2.7bn redevelopment, including International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates.
“This is the appropriate plan to deliver not just a fantastic stadium for the Brisbane 2032 Games, but also a new stadium for Brisbane to replace one that‘s at the end of its useful life,” the Deputy Premier said.
The winning option will have also have a 6-star sustainability rating, have larger concourses for general admission, and include better viewing for a 360-degree fan experience.
At the estimates hearing on Wednesday, Mr Miles also unveiled the three other options rejected by the government.
The second option also included a full reconstruction and deconstruction but at a cost of $2.2bn planned on leaving the pitch at its current level, included seating for 45,000 fans, had poorer accessibility for fans and had 10 per cent less roof coverage.
At a cost of $2.6bn, the third option proposed retaining the north and south stands while replacing the east and west sections, had poor accessibility and offered 50 per cent roof coverage.
Both option two and three failed to satisfy Brisbane 2032 legacy requirements to significantly improve the precinct, according to the design proposal.
The fourth option was virtually the same as the first but proposed retaining the existing slab, therefore it was not able to be elevated. It was also predicted to cost $3.2bn – by far the most expensive of the four.
On the relocation of East Brisbane State School students, Mr Gollan called for a dedicated bus service to be provided to people in the area, many of whom he said previously walked to school drop-offs.
“It’s a unique situation that could be quite disruptive for families,” he said.
“There definitely needs to be a bus provided to the community that goes past the bridge and to the school that’s a secure option.”
East Brisbane State School’s P&C took to social media to express “great disappointment and sadness” at the news.
“This outcome is not what our school community has been fighting for and leaves our community without a local school,” it read.