Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley urges state government to ‘step up’ on AFL high performance centre

A Tasmanian mayor has demanded that the state government “step up” and fulfil its commitment to build a $70m AFL training base in his municipality.

AFL High Performance Centre, City of Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley and Sport Minister Nic Street at Rosny. Picture: Chris Kidd

Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley has urged the state government to “step up” and ensure the proposed AFL high performance centre at Rosny is built as the Liberals consider Kingston’s Twin Ovals as a potential alternative site for the $70m development.

Late last year, the State Growth Department announced Rosny as the preferred site for the facility, which is intended to be the training base for Tasmania’s new AFL and AFLW sides.

But the choice of the old golf course and Charles Hand Park ignited local controversy and led to an elector poll in Clarence.

Concept design of proposed AFL high performance centre at Rosny. Picture: Populous

The poll found that 51 per cent of residents supported the high performance centre being built at the Rosny Parklands, while only 35 per cent wanted a secondary oval constructed at Charles Hand Park.

Cr Blomeley, who is determined to see the development come to fruition, is now ramping up his calls for the government to make it happen, with State Growth having set a timeline of submitting a development application by the end of this year and having the facility built and ready to use by 2026.

“Nine months have passed since the state government announced Rosny as the location for the high performance centre,” he said.

“We’ve had wide community debate and an elector poll indicating that a majority of Clarence residents support the high performance centre being built in Rosny.

“It’s now time for the government to step up and get this done.”

Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley.

Labor has suggested that the government could shift the high performance centre to Kingborough due to a factional dispute involving Mayor Blomeley, the former chair of the Liberal Party’s Franklin electorate committee.

He was expelled from the party after failing to rule out running as an independent candidate at the March state election.

In Question Time on Thursday, Sport Minister Nic Street said Labor’s claim was “ridiculous” and “absolutely not part of the process”.

He said the government had “made it clear” last year that Kingston also qualified as a suitable site for the high performance centre and that “we would continue to do due diligence at both sites”.

Proposed site of the AFL high performance centre at the old Rosny Golf Course site. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“That due diligence is still ongoing. As soon as the due diligence at both sites is finished, we will make a decision and we will announce that,” Mr Street said.

“Until such time as we announce that, Rosny remains the preferred site for the high performance centre.

“We obviously cannot lodge a DA until we have chosen and announced our preferred final site. As soon as we do, we will submit a DA and we hope to do that as soon as possible.”