Redeveloping Bruce Stadium faces a lot of hurdles. Photo: ACT Government.
It has been a slow burn, but it is now obvious the proposed indoor stadium on the site of the Civic Olympic Pool won’t be going ahead.
The Chief Minister has made it clear this week that the concept is dead and buried.
A stadium in the city has many positives, including proximity to bars and restaurants, which has become a theme of modern stadiums as they integrate with existing entertainment options.
But in the end, there were too many hurdles: the cost; the realignment of Parkes Way; the ability to grow grass in an indoor stadium given the proposed alignment; the limitations of the size of the Civic Pool block; as well as questions about how often it might be used.
Civic Olympic Pool is also a costly asset to keep up and running. Photo: File.
So, with no appetite whatsoever now for the Civic site, where to now for an indoor stadium to cater for Brumbies and Raiders games?
The obvious solution is a rebuild on the site of the existing Canberra Stadium, but that option also faces a number of hurdles.
An obvious one is that the site is owned by the Commonwealth and not the ACT Government.
There is also the issue of cost, which appears to be growing by the day, as well as the expense of constantly refurbishing the ageing facility at Bruce.
But compared to the modern facilities built, being built, or proposed for every other capital city except Darwin, it falls well short in terms of being a comfortable place to watch live sport.
It is not just the structure of the stadium and the modern comforts demanded by sports fans that need to be considered, but the ambience around Canberra Stadium that could be improved.
I have heard other options put forward for a stadium including Tuggeranong, Belconnen and Exhibition Park, but I am far from convinced that it would be better than the existing stadium at Bruce.
One of the interesting aspects of the Bruce site was the theory that if the Commonwealth handed over the AIS Arena and Canberra Stadium to the ACT Government there was the possibility of selling the site of Canberra Stadium to developers to help finance the cost of a new Civic stadium.
Another factor to consider is the future of the Civic Olympic Pool site, which has had issues over the years and appears to be in constant need of repair.
Some time ago there was a proposal to build a major aquatic facility on the Lake Burley Griffin foreshore at Acton to replace the Civic Pool.
That doesn’t appear to be an option anymore.
So will the Civic Olympic Pool site be developed into a new aquatic facility, will it be the location for a new convention centre, or will it be left to wither?
There is much to consider on the growing list of Canberra’s sporting needs.
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