TCCI boss Michael Bailey says state government should take a serious look at Macquarie Point Stadium 2.0

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss Michael Bailey has urged the state government to drop its Macquarie Point political time bomb in favour of the alternative Mac Point 2.0.

Concept drawings of a new design for a Macquarie Point Stadium by the Stadia Precinct Consortia led by Dean Coleman and Paul Lennon. Picture: SolutionsWon

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss Michael Bailey has urged the state government to drop its Macquarie Point political time bomb and consider the alternative stadium design announced this week.

Mr Bailey believes the new stadium idea would save the state money by tapping into the private sector to fund the majority of the stadium build as well as the Macquarie Point urban redevelopment project.

TCCI CEO Michael Bailey.

The brainchild of Melbourne-based Tasmanian engineer Dean Coleman, Macquarie Point Stadium 2.0 could be a commercial gold mine rather than weighing heavily on the public purse.

The bold new stadium design incorporates 450 private apartments wrapped around its outsider walls boasting waterfront views, a hotel and convention centre, underground parking, restaurants, private hospital, supermarket and other commercial space.

Concept drawings of a new design for a Macquarie Point Stadium by the Stadia Precinct Consortia led by Dean Coleman and Paul Lennon. Picture: SolutionsWon

It forms part of a bold $2.3 billion urban redevelopment plan funded mostly by private investment.

“The Coleman stadium blows the Macquarie Point idea out of the water,” Mr Bailey said on local radio.

“It also shows the benefit of consultation before you make an announcement.

“They spoke to the RSL and regatta people, the Hobart City Council and they spoke to us so we could all put forward out thoughts and ideas before they went public.

“It’s a terrific idea.”

Mr Bailey urged the government to change tack.

“They need to concede they’ve sunk too much into Macquarie Point, and into something that is going to turn into, and probably has turned into, a political disaster for them,” he said.

“Be prepared to listen to a different idea and I really hope they do.

“If they run with the idea that the AFL won’t allow them to do that, I think all Tasmanians would say well walk away from the AFL.”

Concept drawings of a new design for a Macquarie Point Stadium by the Stadia Precinct Consortia led by Dean Coleman and Paul Lennon. Picture: SolutionsWon

Coleman’s stadium consortium has serious investors waiting to get involved should they should get the green light, real estate brokers ready to market the private apartments, and construction partners ready to start preparing the stadium foundations and social housing as part of stage one.

“The way they have done it is really clever,” Mr Bailey said.

“The private-public partnership will guarantee the price to the Tasmanian government, where the Macquarie Point idea could be [cost] anything.

“I think we all know the price they [state government] are talking about is going to be understated.

“The benefit of this idea is that it caps the price Tasmanians have to pay for what is going to be a very important piece of infrastructure.”