news, act-politics

A new stadium with a roof in Civic could have the flexibility to host AFL and international cricket as part of an evolving plan to transform the city centre with a sports venue, convention centre and hotel. Canberra Airport chief executive Stephen Byron has backed the vision to reinvigorate the city landscape to help sell the capital to domestic and international travellers. It's understood a Canberra businessman is keen to help fast-track a delayed plan to build a stadium in Civic as part of a wider redevelopment of the precinct. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr says a stadium, a convention centre and a hotel are part of a long-term vision to build new infrastructure in Civic "over the next 10 to 15 years". But it is believed there is a renewed push to help put an integrated precinct back on the radar within the next 10 years as the ACT Brumbies and Canberra Raiders struggle to attract fans to an ageing stadium at Bruce. The idea would need to go through planning and development authority levels before it reaches the government and be subject to an expression of interest and tender process. But it is already gathering support from influential Canberrans. The government's preference is for a rectangle stadium with a roof to be built on the site of the Civic pool as a new home for the Brumbies, Raiders and any future A-League fixtures, while cricket and AFL would be played at Manuka Oval. But a 20,000-25,000-seat 'super stadium' capable moving stands to accommodate all of the football codes and cricket, as well as concerts, conferences and the booming E-sports business, is one of the options being proposed. A Canberra bid for a Big Bash licence formed last year and is keen to join Cricket Australia's Twenty20 competition, while the GWS Giants player three AFL fixtures per season in the capital. The cost of the project and a dilemma over shifting Parkes Way has been a major stumbling block for the government, which is still footing the bill for the Mr Fluffy loose-fill asbestos clean up. The multi-purpose stadium plan would include building over the top of Parkes Way to avoid having to move a major road, which would also give the government a chance to connect the city to Lake Burley Griffin. The prospect of an integrated precinct for conventions, sports, hotels and events has piqued the interest of the capital's business community, including airport boss Mr Byron, as well as potential investors. "The great cities of the world and the great cities of Australia have a modern stadium fit for purpose in the heart of their cities," Mr Byron said. "Similarly, great cities that are growing and deliver jobs in the tourism sector also have high quality and high-capability convention centre facilities. That would bring a lot of business to Canberra. "If you have a thriving convention centre or stadium, it says more about the brand of a city and where a city is going, that it's alive and growing." Canberra Stadium is owned by the Australian Sports Commission - a federal government agency. The ACT government pays $350,000 per year to rent the facility. The commission is considering downsizing its land footprint in Bruce as part of a National Sport Plan, due to be published in the coming months, and could include selling its major assets. The government is keen to buy Canberra Stadium and the AIS Arena, while the chance to buy one of the two pools at the AIS could also be an option. That would give the government the ability to maintain the venues until any Civic plans are finalised and then sell the land at Bruce to a developer for either houses or apartments. "In a large part it does fall to government to fund these sorts of big community assets. They are traditionally funded either through borrowing or asset sales," Mr Barr said on 2CC last week. "All of Canberra's infrastructure in its history has been funded through asset sales, and those asset sales have been progressively selling off the land."

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