Development Victoria Opens EoI for $2bn MCG Revamp

Development Victoria has launched an expressions-of-interest campaign to deliver the business case for the $2-billion Melbourne Cricket Ground redevelopment.

The EoI process, which closes on December 16, seeks specialists to develop the MCG Redevelopment 2025 Business Case in collaboration with Melbourne Cricket Club, the MCG Trust and the Victorian Government.

Under the current EoI, Development Victoria is looking for a lead design consultant and engineering consultant, as well as technical and commercial experts.

The business case would examine options for rebuilding the ageing Shane Warne Stand, which opened in 1992, as well as updating facilities.

Concept images show a transformed southern stand with restaurant and pub-style dining for up to 2000 patrons, open-air decks facing Yarra Park and a glass facade replacing existing concrete walls.

The proposed redevelopment would increase stadium capacity by approximately 5000 seats to 105,000, ranking it among the world’s 10 largest stadiums.

Plans include skyline bars, deeper concourses with improved pedestrian flow, enhanced seating, upgraded rooftop lighting and, potentially, a boutique hotel.

The project site at Yarra Park East Melbourne on Wurundjeri Country is bound by Brunton Avenue and railway lines, so engineers would need to consider development options that may cantilever over roads or tracks.

Construction would not begin until after 2030 due to events that are already locked in. Works would need to be staged to maintain minimum capacity above 70,000 throughout the project to satisfy AFL Grand Final contract requirements.

The phased approach would mirror the 2006 Northern Stand redevelopment, with works to take place over two to three years.

▲ An artist’s impression of the proposed MCG redevelopment.

The MCC said the redevelopment was necessary due to the existing stand’s aged facilities, narrow corridors causing congestion at major events, and limited wheelchair access on upper levels.

The club pitched the project as an opportunity to benchmark the venue against global stadiums and enhance fan comfort, connectivity and premium hospitality offerings.

Funding for the $2-billion project would likely involve contributions from state and federal governments, the MCC, the AFL and Cricket Australia. State government officials have indicated its support could be in excess of $1 billion.

The state is copping heat over the proposed development, with estimates that it would need to pay half the total redevelopment costs.

Peter Cole, the original architect of the stand, also questioned the value of the proposal, saying the estimated cost of up to $200,000 per additional seat and the embodied carbon lost through demolition may be too high a price to pay.

Cole said targeted retrofits could address accessibility and amenity concerns without complete demolition.

The $15-million business case, jointly funded by the MCC and Victorian Government, would explore scope, cost, staging and funding models.

In 2024, the MCG hosted 69 major events, welcomed over four million fans and contributed more than $720 million to Victoria’s economy while supporting 7500 full-time jobs.

Other proposals to upgrade infrastructure serving the sporting precinct include Bates Smart’s Richmond Sportslink concept, which would transform Richmond Station through a mixed-use development, including 500 homes and a hotel.

Bates Smart director Julian Anderson said the station, which serves about two million MCG visitors annually, is “just not fit for purpose” and the proposal would improve wayfinding and create a direct pedestrian bridge to the MCG and Melbourne Park.