Mega emergency hub

Old stadium could become home of Kirwan Police Station

THE former home of the North Queensland Cowboys is being weighed up as an option for a new $30m police station, a high level cop has confirmed.

Regional Queensland Deputy Commissioner Paul Taylor said the new Kirwan Police Station could be housed at the former 1300Smiles Stadium with other emergency services, if a $500,000 feasibility study found it was viable.

The former home of the North Queensland Cowboys has not been used by the NRL club for games since 2019, when their state-of-the-art Queensland Country Bank Stadium was built.

The study, which was announced by the state government in October last year, is looking into the suitability of the land as a hub for Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, a “Regional Deployment Centre” and a State Emergency Services storage facility, with options for a future Regional Fire Communications Centre.

The Queensland Treasury is leading the study and confirmed this week it was also working “closely with Queensland Police Service”, which is the first time the collaboration has been made public.

The location of the new station has been up in the air, but Mr Taylor confirmed on Thursday police were considering the stadium site as an option.

“$30m is a considerable investment, and we want to make sure it serves the community going forward,” Mr

Taylor said. “We are working with treasury to make sure we get the best possible location.

“We need a location that gives us good access to the area and we want to make sure we get it right … there is a lot of work happening in the background.”

In October last year, Police Minister Mark Ryan also announced a new $30m station for Townsville’s busiest beat.

Rumours have since swirled about the potential location for the station, and whether it would be built up on the existing site at Thuringowa Drive or move to another location.

Mr Ryan said earlier this week the redevelopment of the station was still in the planning stages, and further information would be released soon.

A spokesman for Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick said it was committed to completing the study, but did not indicate when it would be complete.

The study would also look at options for parts of the site to be used by neighbouring Ryan Catholic College and Brothers Leagues Club. The cost of demolition and what fittings or fixtures could be salvaged is also a part of the study.

The ageing stadium, which was replaced by the $293.5m Queensland Country Bank stadium, is owned by the state government and operated by state-owned entity Stadiums Queensland.

The Bulletin understands the feasibility study is in the final stages.