Draft plan for Hobart's Macquarie Point released

A draft precinct plan for the redevelopment of Hobart's heritage-laden Macquarie Point has been released by the Tasmanian government, following a review of more than 2,000 written submissions regarding the development.

Macquarie Point is located between Hobart's CBD and the Port of Hobart. It connects the CBD to the Queen's Domain, the Hobart Cenotaph, the intercity cycleway and Tasman Bridge. The site was home to the muwinina people for thousands of years before becoming an early arrival point for Europeans and later being used as a farm, abattoir, lumber yard, gas works, cold store, goods storage and military drill yard.

The state government has proposed the establishment of a multi-purpose stadium, a First Nations culturally informed zone, Antarctic facilities, an integrated mixed-use zone, residential zone and public foreshore on the site. The draft precinct plan has been produced by the Macquarie Point Development Corporation with Cox Architecture.

As indicated in the plans, the objective for the new mixed-use precinct is to create a place for community and visitors to "gather, celebrate and reflect, through the arts, culture, sport, events and entertainment."

A multipurpose stadium would create the opportunity to attract and host events at a scale currently not available in the state, with the stadium footprint, excluding external concourse, occupying an approximate area of 43,000 square metres.

An Aboriginal Culturally Informed Zone has been proposed for the northern and western (front) face of the site due to its increased visibility. The design team will seek guidance from First Nations enterprises when naming the space, identifying the purpose of the space and exploring opportunities for integrating narrative, storytelling and educational aspects.

An Antarctic Facilities Zone, of 8,000 square metres to the north-east of the stadium, has been proposed to support growth within the Antarctic industry. The zone would offer administrative office spaces and underground carpark to organizations, with priority given to those with projects in the Antarctic.