Richmond Football Club wants to demolish historic Jack Dyer Stand

Richmond Tiger’s plans to redevelop Punt Road Oval and demolish one of its historic stands has been voted on by council.

Richmond Football Club plans to demolish a historic grandstand.

Richmond has kicked a goal in its quest to redevelop its Punt Rd Oval.

The City of Melbourne on Tuesday night approved $65 million plans by the AFL club to demolish a historic grandstand and modernise the facility.

A final decision on the plans now sits with Planning Minister Richard Wynne.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the council unanimously backed the club’s proposal because it would enhance community use and the fan experience.

“Improving facilities is absolutely important and is really at the centre of so many of the compelling reasons for supporting this,” she said.

The council is expected to vote in favour of the development.

“This development will create new history … it will mean AFLW can play [at the venue] which is such an important aspect of the growth and development of the game.”

Richmond, which it uses the Punt Rd Oval as its training and administrative headquarters, wants to double its capacity from 4000 to 8000 spectators and give the ground the same dimensions as the MCG.

It also plans to demolish the historic Jack Dyer Stand and replace it with a new one that would include a four-level underground car park.

That proposal was opposed by heritage groups who argued the early 20th century grandstand had architectural significance.

How the new stand will look.

But at the Future Melbourne Committee found the redevelopment was the only way to “the secure the club’s long term future” at Punt Rd.

It said the Jack Dyer Stand was no longer fit for purpose and had a number of potential safety hazards.

“We’ve seen other clubs leave their traditional home … resulting in a loss of connection between the club and their places of origin,” said Laura Thomas, a town planner who represented Richmond Football Club.

Deputy Lord Mayor Nick Reece said Punt Rd Oval should be “a place where people can play and watch football, not just a training ground with an empty grandstand.”

“Do we keep an empty grandstand as a monument to the history of the ground or do we allow it to be developed so it can continue to serve the community as a vital, living, sports ground?”, he said.

“The community benefits of the new facilities outweigh the heritage cost of losing the old Jack Dyer stand.

“The old grandstand is no longer fit for purpose and a safety risk - it would require so much work to bring it up to standard that it would be no longer resemble the stand people know. “

Richmond first played at Punt Road in 1885 and hosted its last VFL game 1964, after it relocated its home games to the MCG the following year.