Apartments Taryn Paris Sun 15 Nov 26
The consortium will deliver the 17,000-seat arena and 4000 homes as the State mulls the fate of another Brisbane event space...
The consortium comprising Plenary, Live Nation, Oak View Group and Webuild has been selected to deliver the 17,000-seat arena and 4000 homes at Woolloongabba.
Construction is due to start in early 2027, with the arena due to open by 2031.
Gather Brisbane was named the successful proponent in a deal announced by Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie on Sunday.
The consortium will design, build, finance, maintain and operate the $1.4-billion arena.
Gather Brisbane was chosen ahead of the Brisbane Entertainment Alliance consortium, and the Queensland Government will make a one-off $600-million contribution to the project.
The venue will seat 17,000 and hold up to 18,700 in concert mode. The State Government said the arena had been designed for both major concerts and sporting events.
It will sit beside the new Woolloongabba Cross River Rail station, with patrons stepping straight onto the arena grounds. The government has likened the set-up to New York’s Madison Square Garden and Penn Station.
The arena will replace the 40-year-old Boondall Entertainment Centre, which the government says is at the end of its life.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said selecting Gather Brisbane marked a major milestone for the precinct after a decade of inaction on the site.
“This urban renewal of the Gabba was a key part of the Crisafulli Government’s 2032 Delivery Plan to get the Games back on track and position Queensland as the events capital of Australia,” Bleijie said.
“Similar state and private partnerships have successfully delivered arena and stadium projects nationally and internationally, including Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium and Perth’s Optus Stadium, but none have delivered the city-shaping scale of a new entertainment space and thousands of homes, connected with public open space, dining and bars.”
The housing component would follow the 2032 Games.
The Gabba Stadium would be decommissioned after the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with the land released in stages for almost 4000 homes and open public space.
The mix would include build-to-sell, build-to-rent, co-living and purpose-built student accommodation.
The precinct would also include plazas, year-round dining and bars, and better pedestrian links. It would also include a new pedestrian bridge over the existing busway and an expanded public plaza connecting to Stanley Street and Woolloongabba busway station.
The operator would be responsible for all maintenance and future refurbishments for the life of the arena.
The State would own the arena land until at least 2071 and would enter a long-term commercial arrangement with the operator.
The consortium brings together infrastructure financier Plenary, live entertainment giant Live Nation, US venue developer Oak View Group and builder Webuild.
Two consortia were shortlisted in March: Gather Brisbane and the Brisbane Entertainment Alliance. The Alliance included Capella Capital, Lendlease, AEG and Legends Global.
Plenary and Live Nation also have a stake in a Gold Coast Games project . The AmplifyGC consortium, which included both, was selected earlier this year to progress that project.
Plenary Group head of development Sergio Calcarao said the precinct had a unique opportunity to reshape inner-city Woolloongabba.
“This precinct development will redefine how city precincts in Australia and abroad are designed, developed and delivered,” Calcarao said.
“It’s an honour to be selected to deliver this impressive venue; one that will prove to be an iconic piece of legacy infrastructure for Brisbane and a diverse range of housing and community infrastructure that will be integrated into the master planned precinct.”
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