NBL plan for Tassie a win

Our first team in the NBL in more than two decades bundled with the promise of a new and exciting riverfront precinct in the northern suburbs? It’s pretty special stuff.

National Basketball League owner and property developer Larry Kestelman.

IT’S suddenly a very exciting time to be a fan of sport in Tasmania. Not only is there the promise of our own VFL team from 2021 as a precursor to potentially one in the big league from 2023 (fingers and everything crossed) — but now the National Basketball League boss says it is his plan to grant us a licence in his competition in two years. Fantastic.

The State Government should be getting on board, and consider carefully — and positively — exactly what support the NBL wants to make this happen. It should not be an open chequebook, though. Instead, we should be willing to invest in facility upgrades that will be of benefit to the community as part of the deal.

NBL CHIEF’S VISION FOR RIVERBANK PRECINCT

The Government should be doing so because having another team in a national competition based in Tassie can only be a good thing. It can also only work in our favour when it comes to future negotiations with others. A bit of competitive tension is always beneficial.

NBL boss — and property developer — Larry Kestelman’s plans for the Wilkinsons Point precinct that the Derwent Entertainment Centre sits on are also super exciting. That he is thinking of Brisbane’s 17.5ha South Bank Parklands (and Melbourne’s Southbank) as inspiration gives a hint of what a game changer this project could be for our city.

The parcel of waterfront land that the Glenorchy City Council voted on Monday night to negotiate exclusively with Mr Kestelman over is a full 16ha less than 10km from the centre of a state capital — and just across the water from Tasmania’s biggest tourism drawcard, Mona. It deserves a redevelopment worthy of the rare opportunity that is being presented.

And that’s what — it appears — Mr Kestelman has proposed: a redevelopment worth up to $200 million that he believes will become a new seven-day-a-week destination for both locals and tourists in Hobart’s northern suburbs.

“I see it having a component of sport and community, entertainment, food and beverage,” Mr Kestelman said in his exclusive interview with our sport reporter Adam Smith. “If you have a look at places like the river banks of Melbourne, the river banks of Brisbane, I think there’s really an opportunity to do something a little special there that will drive seven days a week-type activation in the area, create jobs and then really a community hub.” Add to that his plans for a hotel there and a potential stop for a ferry from the city and we are suddenly looking at a super-exciting proposal for our city. Bravo.

Further, as Glenorchy Mayor Kristie Johnston said yesterday, Mr Kestelman is the real deal — “he can actually achieve the kind of things he says he wants to do on that site. He has the runs on the board in terms of property development and successes.”

There remains a journey still to go on here. What exactly Mr Kestelman is proposing is still to be revealed, along with the detail of the support he wants from taxpayers for the upgrade of the DEC and the NBL team itself. Those and other questions must be answered before the council and the Government sign up to Mr Kestelman’s proposal. But as a starting point this is all a very good news story. Our first team in the NBL in more than two decades bundled with the promise of a new and exciting riverfront precinct in the northern suburbs? It’s pretty special stuff.