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Ballymore Redevelopment

Adam84

Rod McCall (65)
this was a render released showing the upgrade eastern stand in line with the MID approval
IMG_6767.jpeg



IMG_6768.jpeg
 

Slayer!

Herbert Moran (7)
I guess my initial question was based on there being a master plan in place and approved with the eastern stand still there.

Is there a design or plan for what RA/QRU would be seeking funding from government for?

Is it similar to the existing ~5k capacity stand or lower capacity option like the new western complex?

What capacity would we end up with?
"AN" Eastern Stand, not "THE" Eastern Stand is approved under the planning permissions from the State Government. (ie, its in place and the retired town planner two streets over can't appeal it".

New stand would be smaller - 5k vs the current 7.5k, because the previous QRU board f***ed it up royally with a stand that was too big. That means a total 12k capacity (15k if you stick a temporary stand on the north for the Olympics). New stand essentially replicates the new McLean with more seats (ie, new McLean on top of the existing concourse) with Olympic Sevens in the stand, like the Wallaroos are in the McLean.

Anything over about 11k the QRU earns more from Suncorp (forget about the "atmosphere" argument, more money from games means more development officers/defence against AFL)
 

Slayer!

Herbert Moran (7)
QRU have a master plan approval for Ballymore under QLD Govt Ministerial Infrastructure Designations. Planning/approval process under a MID is slightly different to your standard BCC DA.

Essentially the Eastern Stand is approved to stay within the current ‘building envelope’, but they sought to include upgrades. I don’t think it would be a knock down and rebuild, rather an upgrade and infill under/against the existing stand.

overall capacity for Ballymore can’t exceed what it was previously, an approval requirement of the MID.

MID approval for site
View attachment 18505
You can build a new stand under the MID, the question is, would the new stand (including a high-performance centre) be bigger than the old one? There's nothing stopping it from being much, much bigger, apart fro the fact that you waste money. Anything over an 11k total capacity and you lose money from a corresponding game at Suncorp.
Plan is a 10-12k total capacity.
(Also - you'd absolutely knock down and rebuild. The stand was a dog when it was built in 1992 (for the historians amongst us, Dick McGruther, who quite disgracefully filed a heritage claim against the old stand to stop the new redevelopment - then cowardly "withdrew" while not withdrawing- , was Chairman at the time) and it's a dog now. Would cost as much to renovate as it would to rebuild and would be putting lipstick on a pig at the end of its life... (see: the Gabba, 2024....)
 

Slayer!

Herbert Moran (7)

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KOB1987

John Eales (66)
I'm confused about the Olympic Standard Climbing Centre - I take it the objective is to get to the roof, but how? It could make for good half time entertainment at the least, have cans of XXXX at checkpoints on the way up.
 

Jimmy_Crouch

Peter Johnson (47)
Can I ask why RA would move the 7s away from the recently built facility at Moore Park? Is it a cost of living thing for the players? Better weather? As a tax payer I'd be annoyed. If that
 

kiap

Steve Williams (59)
That a heap of cash was forked out for a facility that is only used in a blue moon.

Nah ... most of that building, and the funding of it, is for the UTS Sports Campus with 700-odd people there every day.

From the blurb at the time it was also ... "designed for use by local community groups, including Indigenous organisations, local schools and clubs along with other Australian and international sporting teams ... "
 

Ignoto

Peter Sullivan (51)
Can I ask why RA would move the 7s away from the recently built facility at Moore Park? Is it a cost of living thing for the players? Better weather? As a tax payer I'd be annoyed. If that
I would hazard a guess Moore Park can't host all of the teams without seriously juggling. Since it was made we've had a huge rise in the Womens game, both 15s and 7s and with the 21/18s programs there's a lot of people to squeeze under one roof.
 

kiap

Steve Williams (59)
But also to my first point why move the 7s?
Are they moving the 7s ?

Unless things changed since I last checked many months ago, I thought they were moving the women's 7s at this stage.

As for reasons, you guessed much of it yesterday: cost of living, weather, parking, .. yada yada yada ...

... and likely Qld govt investment looking to attract Olympic sports.
 

Sword of Justice

Arch Winning (36)
I thought that the women’s game being relocated to Ballymore was a condition of the QLD tax funded contribution whereas I don’t recall any rugby being part of the funding for Moore Park. Therefore the tax payer would rightly be angrier should RA not use the Ballymore facility.
 

Strewthcobber

Simon Poidevin (60)
Are they moving the 7s ?

Unless things changed since I last checked many months ago, I thought they were moving the women's 7s at this stage.

As for reasons, you guessed much of it yesterday: cost of living, weather, parking, .. yada yada yada ...

... and likely Qld govt investment looking to attract Olympic sports.
RA are using Ballymore for the women's 7s in the new facility in the western stand

This discussion is around what's happening with the eastern stand. And RA/QRUs desire for more government funding to finish the ground off
 
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kiap

Steve Williams (59)
RA are using Ballymore for the women's 7s in the new facility in the western stand

This discussion is around what's happening with the western stand. And RA/QRUs desire for more government funding to finish the ground off
I see the posts on that, including some nice graphics. No confirmed project.

Whether the men's 7s moves remains unanswered.
 

Adam84

Rod McCall (65)
But also to my first point why move the 7s?

Because the 7s teams don’t even have a field to train on at Moore Park, they have to use random fields within Centennial Park. I used to see the girls training on Sydney Shamrocks fields all the time, whatever the leasing arrangements for Kippax Field are they evidently don’t have priority on it,

Moore Park is a glorified office building with a big gym, not a high performance training facility. That whole project was questionable to begin with and if ‘taxpayers’ should be angry at any project it’s Moore Park.

In either case the exclusive arrangement to base the 7s teams there has expired, so RA are allowed to move the 7s teams wherever they want. A training facility like the NRTC is much better return for rugby and community benefits then RAs building at Moore Park.
 

Jimmy_Crouch

Peter Johnson (47)
Because the 7s teams don’t even have a field to train on at Moore Park, they have to use random fields within Centennial Park. I used to see the girls training on Sydney Shamrocks fields all the time, whatever the leasing arrangements for Kippax Field are they evidently don’t have priority on it,

Moore Park is a glorified office building with a big gym, not a high performance training facility. That whole project was questionable to begin with and if ‘taxpayers’ should be angry at any project it’s Moore Park.

In either case the exclusive arrangement to base the 7s teams there has expired, so RA are allowed to move the 7s teams wherever they want. A training facility like the NRTC is much better return for rugby and community benefits then RAs building at Moore Park.
Makes sense. I was not aware of the training field situation. There is three at ballymore. Between the reds and the roar the 7s they should be able to work it out.
 
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