New home for heritage railway shed at stadium site

A heritage-listed railway shed on the site of Hobart's planned AFL stadium will be relocated and incorporated into the design.

Renders released on Thursday show the century-old goods shed moved from its current home at the southern side of the site to the northern concourse of the stadium. 

Construction of the 23,000-seat stadium at Macquarie Point is a condition of Tasmania being granted a licence to play in the AFL in 2028.

In April the shed was permanently listed on the state's heritage register, with groups opposed to the stadium raising concerns about its future.

Goods Shed at Macquarie Point
The new stadium would incorporate the goods shed as part of Macquarie Point's industrial heritage.

The shed would maintain its heritage values and character, Macquarie Point Development Corporation CEO Anne Beach said, while being given a new lease on life as a year-round space for events, markets and performances.

A lot of research was done on the building's history, the project's architect Cumulus Studio said.

"It is one of the last buildings of its kind in Hobart," director Peter Walker told reporters.

"The way the trains would have come into the centre of the building ... we want to interpret that in a new way."

The timber shed originally served as the terminus for Hobart’s freight rail line and is part of the area’s industrial heritage.

Concept design image of Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium
Opponents of the new stadium say it is the wrong priority amid health system and living cost woes.

The stadium, slated to be finished in 2029 at a cost of $715 million, still faces assessment from an independent planning body and must be voted through parliament.

A submission would be made to the planning body in the next few weeks, Ms Beach said.

The state's Liberal minority government, which signed off on the stadium deal, has pledged to cap Tasmania's contribution at $375 million. 

Labor has backflipped to support the stadium after campaigning ahead of the March election to renegotiate the contract with the AFL. 

Opponents argue the project is not the right priority in light of Tasmania's cost-of-living and health system struggles, and below-average education outcomes.

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