Site Works Under Way on Hobart’s Macquarie Point Stadium

Procurement for the stadium’s primary construction contract is continuing, with the tender process currently under way. The successful contractor is expected to be appointed by the end of the year.

The Macquarie Point stadium has become one of Tasmania’s most contentious infrastructure projects, with the state government backing the $1-billion-plus venue as central to securing an AFL team licence.

The project has faced opposition over its cost, location, funding model and potential impacts on Hobart’s waterfront precinct.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the commencement of earthworks was an important milestone for the project, saying the government was moving ahead with plans for the Macquarie Point development.

He said the project was expected to support thousands of construction jobs and generate economic activity.

The Macquarie Point precinct is planned as a mixed-use urban renewal development, with the proposed multipurpose stadium forming a central part of the project. The Tasmanian Government says the development is intended to deliver long-term economic and community benefits for the state.

▲ An artistic impression of part of the Skyland masterplan on Hobart’s Eastern Shore.

Skyland Scheme Moves Ahead

The Tasmanian Planning Commission has approved the rezoning of land that could pave the way for the first residential subdivision linked to the proposed Skylands masterplanned community on Hobart’s Eastern Shore.

The commission approved an application by MC Planners, acting on behalf of Skylands proponent AJ Carr Development Corporation, to rezone part of 1300 Oceana Drive at Tranmere from Future Urban to General Residential under the Tasmanian Planning Scheme.

The decision clears the way for a proposed 13-lot residential subdivision on the 9.6ha greenfield site, part of the broader Skylands Master Plan area identified by the Clarence City Council.

The site comprises two titles and is connected to existing reticulated water and sewerage infrastructure.

While modest in scale, the subdivision is expected to serve as an early test case for the much larger Skylands proposal, a 240ha masterplanned community planned for nearby Droughty Point.

That project would deliver up to 2500 homes over 30 years across six neighbourhoods. Five per cent of homes are earmarked for social housing.

The development has attracted community opposition, with concerns raised about environmental impacts, building heights and geotechnical risks.

In its assessment, the Planning Commission considered submissions from Mineral Resources Tasmania, which raised concerns about potential landslip hazards. The agency noted it had previously mapped a large earth slide within 50m of the proposed subdivision site.

However, the commission concluded the land was suitable for residential development provided appropriate engineering and planning conditions were applied.

“Although the evidence differed on the preferred residential density of subsequent development there was agreement that, with due caution and appropriate conditions on any permit, residential development under General Residential zoning could be realised,” the commission said in its decision.

Skylands proponent Greg Carr said the ruling reinforced the site’s suitability for development and addressed claims about landslip risks.

“The decision is based on a detailed geotechnical investigation which reinforces that the site is appropriate for our overall Skylands plan,” Carr said.

“We have made it clear to the Clarence planning team that we will undertake full geotechnical engineering investigations across the whole area we plan to develop to make sure there is no doubt the area is safe and appropriate for the development we are proposing.”

The rezoning comes as the future of the wider Skylands project remains tied to the Droughty Point Peninsula Structure Plan, which must be finalised before the masterplanned community can proceed.

Carr publicly warned in June that he could abandon the project unless Clarence City Council progressed the structure plan before local government elections in October.

Under the draft structure plan, development would initially be capped at 70m above sea level until a new water reservoir is constructed. Once that infrastructure is delivered, development of up to 120m above sea level could potentially be permitted.

The proposed building heights have proved contentious, with a Clarence City Council survey last year finding that 55 per cent of respondents opposed development to 120m at Droughty Point.