CLEAR THE DEC

Council votes to offload centre

TASMANIA’S NBL bid could be about to take full flight with the consortium backing the push offering to buy the Derwent Entertainment Centre.

While the AFL continues to fumble the ball and the ALeague has ignored the state in its expansion plans, basketball looks set to pounce.

The Mercury can reveal the consortium behind Tasmania’s NBL hopes — led by former Devil Justin Hickey — has made an offer for the DEC, which will be tabled at a Glenorchy City Council special meeting tonight.

According to the Glenorchy City Council’s agenda notes, the proposal put to the council from Hydraplay Pty Ltd — a company owned by Hickey — is to consider the sale of the Derwent Entertainment Centre building, its business operations, assets and surrounding land.

The council has recently declared its desire to sell the DEC, which reported an operational loss of $234,000 in the 2016-17 financial year, while depreciation of the centre was recorded at $860,000 — a total operating loss and cost to the local community of $1,094,000.

Stadium ownership is one of the requirements of a successful NBL bid and if the Tasmanian consortium is able to obtain the DEC it would be a major bargaining tool for a licence, but the under- Mercury stands the land holds the key to the proposition.

The consortium’s vision is to create a world-class sports and entertainment precinct, which would be adjacent to Berriedale’s showpiece MONA estate.

Not only will the group im- mediately invest $2-$4 million into the DEC to bring it up to NBL standards, it is believed the proposal includes a commitment to provide tens of millions of dollars over the next three to five years to build a hotel, residential accommodation, cafe and restaurant and outdoor enter- tainment facilities that would make it the biggest investment in the city since MONA.

The redevelopment would cover off another major requirement of a successful NBL bid, which is multiple revenue streams.

The consortium also has relationships with major Australian concert promoters and intends to bring up to an extra dozen international and entertainment acts a year to the centre.

The investment is expected to create hundreds of jobs in the construction and operating phase and create an econ- omic uplift in the city of Glenorchy at least the equivalent of what Hawthorn provides in Launceston.

The Hydraplay’s offer will be discussed in a closed session of tonight’s Glenorchy City Council meeting.

Glenorchy Mayor Kristie Johnston said the council would vote separately on whether it intended to sell the DEC and the adjacent land.

“Council independently will consider whether this is an asset that we want to dispose of,” Alderman Johnston said.

Ald Johnston said if the council did proceed with a sale of the DEC, the land to be sold would include Brooker Highway frontage, the front car park and rear car park.

“It doesn’t include the remainder of Wilkinsons Point or ... or any public foreshore,” she said.

The redevelopment would cover off another major requirement of a successful NBL bid, which is multiple revenue streams.