The proposed Canberra Arena. Will it ever be built? Photo: ACT Government.
The developers behind a proposed ice sports facility have suggested two alternative sites for the multi-million-dollar project: Majura Park near Canberra Airport and next to the new Canberra Aquatic Centre in Commonwealth Park.
They have all but ruled out the Greenway site on Rowland Crescent as not feasible.
Cruachan Investments and Pelligra Holdings have again come under fire for not getting on with the Canberra Arena project in Greenway, but have blamed the ACT Government for the delays.
Cruachan Investments director Stephen Campbell, who is also CEO of the Canberra Brave ice hockey franchise, said the government only provided the developers with a Project Agreement in July after being pressured by the Opposition.
The partners were given six weeks to respond, but required an extension, submitting their response on 3 October.
Mr Campbell said it was now up to the government to make the next step.
He said the response outlined its concerns about the Greenway site and proposed two other centrally located sites, both on government land – the preferred one next to the new Aquatic Centre in Commonwealth Park and the other next to Ikea at Majura Park.
Mr Campbell said the Majura Park site was flat, central, and close to shopping and the Airport.
“If you’re going to be hosting international events, then that is an ideal location,” he said.
“The other site we’ve identified is to cohabitate the space at Commonwealth Park with the new swimming centre. That makes perfect sense because, like many of the facilities in Europe and North America, you have a swimming pool next to an ice rink, so you can use the discharge heat from producing the ice to heat the swimming pool.
“So the government saves money, it improves their environmental credentials, and it’s centrally located.”
The view from the outside. The site is too difficult to build on, the developers say. Photo: ACT Government.
Mr Campbell said the government was told from the start that the Greenway site was too far away from the rest of Canberra and too difficult to build on.
“On the balance of what we’re hearing from the sports users, we are not convinced that Tuggeranong will be viable, and that’s a risk that’s borne by the developer, the operator and also the government,” he said.
“The last thing you want is your only shot at getting a state-of-the-art ice sports solution to fold in two or three years because of the location.”
The Greenway site would also require millions in additional funding to address the sloped site and water issues, while the hundreds of trees posed a major environmental barrier to any development there.
Mr Campbell said the $16.2 million the government had pledged to the project would be easily gobbled up by the extra construction costs.
He said in June that the $35 million to $40 million cost of the project had already blown out to more than $50 million.
It has been three years since a heads of agreement between the government and the partners was signed, followed in January 2023 by the announcement of a direct sale process for the Greenway site and the $16.2 million of public money.
The ACT’s exasperated ice sports organisations went public on Tuesday, calling on the developers to make a start on the project.
Backed by Brindabella’s government MLAs, Taimus Werner-Gibbings and Caitlin Tough, the ACT Ice Sports Federation (ACTISF) has also launched a petition urging the Legislative Assembly to force the issue.
Mr Campbell said the call and petition were disappointing, saying all the ACTISF spokesperson had to do was pick up the phone to be updated on the situation.
The Canberra Arena is expected to feature two international-standard rinks for a variety of ice sports – including figure skating, broomball, speed skating and ice hockey, as well as ‘curling sheets’, and space for 3600 spectators.
But Mr Campbell said that the Brave had already outgrown such a facility for game days, pointing to the success at selling out the AIS Arena this year.
“I’ve told the government, Canberra Brave won’t be playing in Tuggeranong if Tuggeranong goes ahead,” he said.
“There’s no point, and in fact, it actually doesn’t make any sense for us to play in any new 3000-seat facility because we need an 8000-seat facility.”
Mr Campbell said the level of inquiries the Brave was receiving about memberships and ticket sales suggested it would continue to be well supported.
