Townsville certain it has momentum to prevail over Ipswich Rival for stadium plan
PLANS to create a waterfront precinct on the banks of Ross Creek – including a stadium, convention centre and boardwalks – will be unveiled by the State Government next week.
It comes as the stadium component of the project is set to receive competition for funding, with the NRL and ALeague proposing construc- tion of a new 30,000- seat stadium in the Ipswich region.
The plans to build a shareduse training facility and stadium would house the proposed western corridor NRL and ALeague expansion teams.
Townsville Enterprise chief executive Patricia O’Callaghan said Townsville’s stadium bid was significantly more advanced than the Ipswich proposal.
“We have $ 100 million in financial support already from the State Government, a commitment to purchase the land from the council, and indications that the Federal Government is prepared to consider support for the Integrated Stadium and Entertainment Centre,” she said.
“With the business case commencing very soon we are confident that other avenues of potential support can be found, including opportunities to secure funds from the NRL and private sector partners.
“There is an opportunity to secure additional grant funding for proposed projects like the Indigenous Centre for Sports Excellence, which we believe should be integrated into the overall design of the combined stadium and entertainment centre facility.”
Townsville councillor Les Walker said the city needed to ensure its stadium bid remained ahead of Ipswich.
“If we don’t … keep pushing on and making sure we get our fair share, they will build another stadium in the southeast corner,” he said.
“We need to be progressive and make sure we have stateof- the- art facilities for our region not only for rugby league but soccer, rodeos, live concerts and motocrosses.”
The State Government will next week unveil the proposed development scheme for the 97ha Ross Creek Priority Development Area which will include the proposed stadium, convention centre, arts precinct, shops, cafes, restaurants, apartments and boardwalks.
The public notification period will be between July 7 and August 18.
The priority development area will streamline the application process and encourage investment by providing a onestop shop for approvals.