A 109-year old shed that was looming as a major stumbling block in Tasmania’s plans to build a new stadium at Hobart’s Macquarie Point for a 19th club is unlikely to stand in the AFL’s way.
ABC, which reported the possible hurdle last month related to the Goods Shed, has now revealed the Tasmanian government is pushing ahead with its plan to build the stadium, however it’ll consider the state’s heritage council’s reasons to have the shed provisionally listed.
The new report states that the Goods Shed meets two out of eight heritage criteria, but the listing doesn’t mention it needs to remain in its exact original location it was built.
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It opens the door for relocation or demolition to make way for the 19th club’s new arena. As the stadium is being labelled a “project of state significance” by the Tasmanian Planning Commission, the assessment criteria overrides other planning laws including heritage.
The provisional listing is open for public comment for 60 days before a decision is made whether to make it permanent.
The circa-1915 shed, historically used to store railway goods, is the last remaining structure from Hobart’s industrial rail history. It’s currently used as an events space, however a $5 million upgrade planned for 2022 didn’t occur.
In early plans, the Goods Shed was moved, 110 metres away, however it was removed completely in the later precinct plan.
“If you relocate a building or demolish a building of this type, you immediately affect those values, and that significance,” Heritage consultant John Wadsley said, per the ABC.
“This is what Tasmania is built on. There are so many aspects of our history where the place where a building is located is fundamental to its context and understanding of what went on.
“It is rare and significant enough that it not be moved.”
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