The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinarsUrbanity
Industry Excellence
Urban Leader
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
Urban Leader Awards Logos RGB White
NOMINATIONS CLOSE SEPTEMBER 12 RECOGNISING THE INDIVIDUALS BEHIND THE PROJECTS
NOMINATIONS CLOSING SEPTEMBER 12 URBAN LEADER AWARDS
LEARN MOREDETAILS
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
ADVERTISEMENT
SHARE
print
Print
InfrastructurePhil BartschSun 03 Dec 23

‘Mini-Gabba’ Plan Unveiled for Brisbane RNA Showgrounds

Ekka Arena Upgrade render hero

Almost a century after the last baggy green-capped gladiator took to its long overgrown pitch, the Australian cricket team is destined to wield the willow again where Sir Donald Bradman made his Test debut.

Well, that’s the plan anway.

On Friday, the Queensland government unveiled a $137-million proposal to transform the verdant pastures of the Brisbane RNA Showgrounds’ main arena into a 20,000-seat ‘mini-Gabba’.

It would be a temporary replacement for the city's hallowed stadium at Woolloongabba while it is undergoes a $2.7-billion redevelopment for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.

During the past decade, inner-city Bowen Hills and the RNA Showgrounds have been the focus of one of Brisbane's largest urban renewal strategies since the post-World Expo ’88 development of South Bank.

The $2.9-billion regeneration of the 22ha heritage showgrounds precinct—owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association—being undetrtaken in partnership with Lendlease, comprises 340,000sq m of new residential, commercial and retail buildings.

Among the works completed so far is the benchmark 10-storey 25 King, Australia’s tallest engineered timber office building.

The precinct is also home to a historic landmark for Queensland's development industry—the Ernest Baynes Stand, built in 1922-23 and one of the earliest major projects undertaken by the then fledgling Hutchinson Builders.

Under the latest plans, the showgrounds’ main arena would be upgraded to enable it to host AFL and cricket fixtures from 2026 until the redevelopment of The Gabba—the city’s storied cricket field and home of Queensland Cricket, Brisbane Heat and the AFL's Brisbane Lions—is completed.

“An extensive southeast Queensland-wide review has identified the RNA Showgrounds’ main arena as the best possible temporary venue during The Gabba rebuild,” a government statement said.

The arena's revamp would not only deliver “a lasting community legacy” but also an “historic homecoming for cricket” in Brisbane, it added.

A render of the proposed upgrade of the Brisbane RNA Showgrounds main arena.
▲ A render of the proposed upgrade of the Brisbane RNA Showgrounds main arena.

Better known these days as the venue for the city’s annual agricultural exhibition—affectionately dubbed the Ekka—it is where Queensland’s first international Test was played, in 1928-29.

That year, Sir Donald Bradman—one of the sport’s greatest batsmen—walked onto the Brisbane field in his maiden appearance for Australia against England, etching it into sporting history.

But its days as the city’s premier cricket ground were short-lived.

Only two Tests and a couple of dozen first-class matches were played before the Queensland Cricket Association moved across the Brisbane River to The Gabba.

Queensland Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the unveiling of the plans for the arena upgrade had come after “several months of consultation” with cricket and AFL administrators.

“We believe that an upgraded main arena at Brisbane’s RNA Showgrounds is the best possible and most cost effective option for the relocation of the AFL, cricket and other major events during The Gabba’s redevelopment,” he said.

“The Ekka is an absolute Queensland institution and absolute Brisbane institution.

“We think it’s important that we see this location, that brings the city and country together, get looked after and use that as an opportunity to provide this platform for the displacement.”

He also pointed out that the Brisbane Lions’ contribution to Brisbane’s visitor economy was estimated at $80 million a year.

Render of the proposed $2.7-billion re3development of The Gabba stadium for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
▲ A render of the proposed $2.7-billion redevelopment of The Gabba stadium for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.

A key part of the Ekka show ring upgrade is the development of a permanent seating bowl below a temporary grandstand at Machinery Hill around the northern end of the ground.

After the Olympics, it is proposed the arena be scaled back to a 12,000-seat capacity.

Up to $45.7 million has been committed by the Queensland government to the arena revamp while the Brisbane City Council, RNA and The Gabba’s primary tenants—Queensland Cricket and the Brisbane Lions—have been asked to stump up the remaining $91 million.

Work must begin next year so the arena is ready for the 2025-26 cricket season and scheduled start of The Gabba redevelopment, which will increase its capacity from 42,000 to 50,000 spectators.

Hinchcliffe said he had written to Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner asking for “a significant contribution” to the cost of the project.

“This is the beginning of the negotiation that we need to have,” he said.

But Cr Schrinner has slammed the request as a “ridiculous amount of money the state is trying to extort from Brisbane ratepayers ... to help cover their Gabba blowout”.

“It was the state government’s decision to tear down the Gabba so it’s the state government’s responsibility to find the Brisbane Lions and Heat a temporary home,”

“This half-baked announcement by the state is precisely why we need an independent infrastructure authority making decisions about the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“I’m pleased the state has finally recognised that Brisbane teams should keep playing in Brisbane while the Gabba is redeveloped.

“However, Lions and Heat fans will rightly be angry the state’s failure to make a proper funding commitment to this temporary stadium risks leaving their teams without a home.”

A render of the planned $2.7-billion redevelopment of The Gabba stadium.
▲ The planned redevelopment of The Gabba stadium.

Hinchcliffe said he had attempted to contact the Lord Mayor the day before the plans were unveiled but he had “refused to respond”.

“This is something that needs to have a number of parties being involved,” he said. “So all those parties were advised of this starting point for negotiations at the same time.

“I contacted the Lord Mayor ... made it clear that it was an important matter and [there was] no return of call.

“It became clear from the response from his office that there was going to be no further conversation between myself and the Lord Mayor immediately.”

On Sunday—in protest of what he described as “a dysfunctional farce, a pointless talkfest”—Cr Schrinner resigned from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games intergovernmental leaders’ forum.

“I will no longer fall into line and support the state government’s current Gabba plan,” he said. “The State Government’s ham-fisted and foolish attempt to extort Brisbane ratepayers for tens of millions of dollars for a new RNA stadium was the final straw.”

He added that he had no doubt there were better options than demolishing and rebuilding The Gabba but “the state government has never genuinely looked for them”.

“The Games are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Brisbane and Queensland. But unless the state government’s approach changes, this opportunity will be squandered through mismanagement.

“I believe that the government has completely lost its way,” Cr Schrinner said.

Let the games begin.

InfrastructureBrisbaneAustraliaPlanningPolicyPlanningPolicy
AUTHOR
Phil Bartsch
The Urban Developer - Writer
More articles by this author
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
Woolloongabba Precinct Vulture St
Exclusive

Brisbane Developer in Cross River Rail Compensation Tussle

Clare Burnett
4 Min
The Mondrian Gold Coast hotel's food and beverage is driving profits
Exclusive

Touch, Taste, Theatre: What’s Driving Mondrian’s Success

Renee McKeown
6 Min
Fortis’ display suites are designed as brand environments first, with tactile details and curated design to build buyer confidence before project specifics.
Exclusive

Relevant or Redundant: Will Tech Kill Display Suites?

Vanessa Croll
7 Min
Exclusive

Missing Heart: Why The Gold Coast Needs a CBD

Phil Bartsch
7 Min
View All >
Aerial view of Caboolture and Bruce highway to Brisbane with Bribie Island Road crossing, Queensland, Australia
Policy

Queensland’s $2bn Push Opens New Housing Front

Vanessa Croll
JQZ Parramatta EDM
Residential

JQZ Plots 10-Storey Addition to Parramatta ‘Auto Alley’ Plans

Clare Burnett
The Adelaide purpose built student accommodation market is about to increase by 1058 beds with the State Commission Assessment Panel supporting two towers in the making.
Student Housing

Highrise Approvals Add 1000-Plus PBSA Beds in Adelaide

Renee McKeown
The two towers, of 35 and 34 storeys, help cement the SA capital’s growing status as the best place in Australia for the…
LATEST
Aerial view of Caboolture and Bruce highway to Brisbane with Bribie Island Road crossing, Queensland, Australia
Policy

Queensland’s $2bn Push Opens New Housing Front

Vanessa Croll
2 Min
JQZ Parramatta EDM
Residential

JQZ Plots 10-Storey Addition to Parramatta ‘Auto Alley’ Plans

Clare Burnett
3 Min
The Adelaide purpose built student accommodation market is about to increase by 1058 beds with the State Commission Assessment Panel supporting two towers in the making.
Student Housing

Highrise Approvals Add 1000-Plus PBSA Beds in Adelaide

Renee McKeown
3 Min
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/gabba-showground-brisbane-games-stadium