NORTH Queensland coach Paul Green wants Townsville’s proposed $150 million stadium to become a fortress for the Cowboys.

Green, entering his second year as a head coach, welcomed Wednesday’s commitment by the LNP to build a new home to replace 1300 Smiles Stadium.

It is one of the most daunting destinations in rugby league, with early-season visitors facing long flights, intense heat, humidity and occasionally monsoonal rain.

The Cowboys are tough to beat at home, and Green wants that to continue at the South Townsville site.

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But the former halfback does not want southern raiders to relish the challenge, such as they do at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

“I’ve seen the plans and it’s a great precinct,” Green said.

“And hopefully it will be a fortress. Every team wants to win all its home games.

“But we don’t want it so other clubs look forward to it.”

The master plan of the stadium precinct and negotiations to move the rail yard out of the CBD and into an industrial park would begin on the first day of a re-elected Newman Government.

The Liberal National Party has promised $150 million to build a stadium on the southern edge of the CBD and remove the Aurizon rail yards from South Townsville to the Townsville State Development Area.

Mundingburra MP David Crisafulli said starting planning work and commencing negotiations with Aurizon would be a top priority for a re-elected Newman Government.

“It will begin on day one,” he said.

“We need to do the work to move heavy industry out of the city and master plan the area so that will commence immediately.

“You can’t create that sort of sports, entertainment and lifestyle precinct if you still have a rail yard and heavy industry next door.

“Then we need to get moving on planning, designing and building the stadium.”

The project could be complete by 2020, when the current 1300 SMILES is slated for either replacement or a major refurbishment.

There cost of building a stand-alone stadium has been estimated between $185 million and $210 million depending on the design and capacity, which ranges between 25,000 and 30,000 people depending on the model adopted.

Despite the discrepancies in the costings between the different proposals, Premier Campbell Newman committed the State Government to building the stadium.

“There are various (cost) estimates out there at the moment,” he said.

“The point is we will make it happen.

“We are putting on the table a solid commitment to get this going.

“I know the other parties like the NRL and the council are committed to it as well and we will make this happen.”

Townsville MP John Hathaway said he would make the project his top priority, if re-elected.

“On February 1, I will be knocking on the deputy premier’s door to demand that we get the best and brightest planning agency to do the master plan and the top negotiators to cut a deal with Aurizon to get them out of the inner city,” he said.

“This is the best thing to happen to Townsville in a long time and I will be making sure we set a cracking pace on this.”