KIRK’s Gabba West plans
Featured image credit: KIRK
The Queensland state government will unveil its Games Delivery Plan for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics on March 25, with the location of the main stadium for the event set to be revealed.
The government is currently in the middle of a 100-day review into infrastructure plans for Brisbane 2032, with a potential new main stadium still on the cards. The review officially commenced on November 29 and is being led by Queensland Premier David Crisafulli.
The launch of the second review was an election pledge as Crisafulli claimed a victory for the Liberal National Party in the state election in October, ending Steven Miles’ Labor Premiership.
The Miles government last year opted to scrap a planned revamp of The Gabba and also ruled out the possibility of building a new stadium at Victoria Park, instead opting to pursue a more modest enhancement of The Gabba as well as upgrades to the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre and Suncorp Stadium.
Crisafulli has been critical of the former government’s stadium plans for Brisbane 2032 and an independent panel will deliver its review of the Games’ infrastructure plans on March 8.
The government will then discuss the recommendations with the International Olympic Committee, the local government host city and the Commonwealth government before announcing its Games Delivery Plan on March 25. In a statement released today (Tuesday), the government said the plan will “end more than 1,200 days of Labor Games chaos”.
The Delivery Plan will be released alongside the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) final report. More than 5,000 submissions were made to the GIICA.
Jarrod Bleijie, Deputy Premier of Queensland, said: “The Crisafulli government will deliver the plan that will finally put Queensland on the right track to make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity.
“In contrast to Labor’s Games chaos and crisis, the Crisafulli Government’s Delivery Plan, guided by the experts, will deliver the best outcome for all Queenslanders. The previous Labor government wasted more than 1200 days because they were focused on red carpets, glitz, glamour and VIP parties.
“In contrast, the Crisafulli government is focused on delivering generational infrastructure and a world-class event. With a Delivery Plan guided by the experts, Queenslanders won’t be embarrassed on the world stage. The Crisafulli government will deliver generational infrastructure, a 20-year tourism plan and an Olympics and Paralympic Games all Queenslanders will be proud of.”
Last month, former Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk claimed that a decision has already been made to build a new stadium at Victoria Park. Palaszczuk played a key role in delivering the Olympics for Brisbane and was Queensland Premier when the city was awarded the Games back in 2021.
Earlier this month, Brisbane-headquartered KIRK became the latest design studio to put forward a proposal for the Games’ main stadium. KIRK has proposed a new 60,000-seat ‘Gabba West’ stadium (pictured).
In December, design and consultancy organisation Arcadis set out its case for a 60,000-seat stadium to serve as the centrepiece of the Games, with its proposal for the Victoria Park area of Brisbane gaining high-profile support.
Last week, Walker Corporation, an Australian property development company, unveiled plans for a new Sunshine Coast complex that would be anchored by a “world-class” 7,000-seat arena for the Games.
Designed to be a premier destination for Brisbane 2032, the Horizon Centre would also comprise an athletes village and five-star hotel. Plans for the Horizon Centre have been entered in a detailed submission to the GIICA’s 100-day review.
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