Tasmanian Parliament hears that cost of three-storey car park excluded from budget for new Hobart Stadium

The cost of building an underground car park inside Hobart's planned AFL stadium has not been factored into its cost estimate, a Tasmanian parliamentary hearing has been told.

The Macquarie Point Development Corporation says the car park was not included in its current $775 million costing for the venue, claiming it is a "whole of precinct outcome", and not specific to the stadium project.

MPDC Chief Executive, Anne Beach told a Budget Estimates Hearing that the three-level private car park inside the stadium, currently designed to accommodate 536 cars, was not included in the cost estimate as it was a "whole-of-precinct outcome".

Beach advised “it's not included in the project because it's not specific to the project.

"It won't be open to the public as such, it's more a facility to support the precinct outcomes."

The development application submission for the stadium stated the car park's upper level would be at the same height as the stadium's playing surface, and provide parking for officials, players and "to support the operations of the function room", as well as some accessible parking for patrons.

Beach said the organisation intended to recoup the cost of building the car park by taking it to market and selling it to a private operator, in the same way it intends for $55 million of unfunded "revenue-generating features" not included in the $775 million cost estimate, including a food and beverage fit out, CCTV and LED advertising signage.

She told the hearing it was too early to disclose the cost of building the car park, adding “that work is still very preliminary and that will involve market testing, and we're still working through the options.”

Beach also confirmed the cost of relocating a heritage-listed Goods Shed to make way for the stadium, was also not included in the cost estimate - nor was establishing an access road at the north of the Macquarie Point site.

She said the cost of moving the Goods Shed would depend on whether it was disassembled, stored off site and reassembled elsewhere, or whether it was relocated as one parcel.

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has repeatedly insisted that the Tasmanian Government's contribution towards the project is capped at $375 million, with private investment to cover the cost of $145 million in building works, the already-identified "revenue-generating features", and then any further cost blowouts.

Image: July 2024 concept for Hobart's planned AFL stadium. Credit: Macquarie Point Development Corporation.