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The Clarence City Council could conduct an elector poll to decide the fate of the Tasmania Devils' proposed AFL high-performance centre at Rosny, but mayor Brendan Blomeley has warned that could come at a cost of up to $200,000, and the results of a poll may not be binding.
It comes after more than 400 people attended a community meeting last night, which was triggered by a petition against the facility from the Save Rosny's Parks community group.
The petition garnered 1,000 signatures from people opposed to an in-principal plan to build the AFL high-performance centre across two sites at the former Rosny golf course and at Charles Hand Memorial Park, which currently hosts an international-standard competition skate park.
The meeting passed six motions that were put forward by the petitioners, including a call for the council to rescind its vote on the project and for no site works on any high-performance centre to commence until a Hobart AFL stadium is formally approved.
Those motions are non-binding but will be considered by the council at a meeting later this month.
If the Save Rosny's Parks group is not satisfied with the outcome of that meeting, it could submit another petition requesting an elector poll that would see all Clarence residents given the opportunity to respond.
But Clarence mayor Brendan Blomeley warned that while that is a possibility, it would come at substantial cost to Clarence ratepayers, and the results of the poll could be non-binding.
"Ratepayers need to understand that it would be up to $200,000 to conduct that elector poll, and it's obviously not compulsory for people to participate in that," Cr Blomeley told ABC Mornings.
"That money can be expended, but then what elected members choose to do with the results is another thing altogether."
In 2022, an elector poll requested by the Hobart City Council regarding the University of Tasmania's move into the CBD garnered a 'no' vote of almost 75 per cent, but the university chose to continue with its move regardless.
Council split on centre's location
The head of the Save Rosny's Parks group, Terry Polglase, said his group was not against the facility being built in Clarence, but strongly opposed the proposed location in the city's parklands.
He said he would support the result of an elector poll if one was to proceed.
"If council wanted to run an elector poll, we will certainly [support it] and we are considering it ourselves," he told ABC Mornings.
Mr Polglase said councillors themselves were split on the location of the facility.
"There's no more than three councillors that are on any side. There are three that want them [the ovals] on Charles Hand park side, three that want them on the golf course, we've got another three that want them on both parks, and another three that don't want them at all," he said.
"Council don't even know what they want."
Current plans for the high-performance facility have one MCG-sized oval at Charles Hand Memorial Park, and a second MCG-sized oval on the site of the former Rosny golf course.
The main administration facility and buildings would sit on the golf course portion of the site, but an oval on Charles Hand Park would require the felling of about 80 trees and the potential removal of a recently built skate park.
No formal designs for the facility have been completed.
Site selection in disagreement
A range of options were considered including having the entire facility on the former golf course site, which is an option that Cr Blomeley says he personally prefers.
"I'm actually not in favour of an oval going anywhere near Charles Hand park. If I had my way, noting I'm only one vote in the chamber, there would not be an oval on Charles Hand park and all the trees, and the skate park would be saved," he said.
"Clearly there's some geotechnical work that needs to occur and that will provide direction to what the cost will be. We're cognisant that $70 million is quite a significant spend, but I want to see it here in City of Clarence."
Mr Polglase said there was "no compromise" to be found, and the facility should be moved away from the parkland, including the golf course, altogether.
"Their own reports tell us it can't be done, but besides that it's a parkland.
"Council itself has spent $160,000 to put up a City Heart plan to use that area, and it's the basis of the City Heart plan so it just can't be put there."
Footy club open to move
Tasmania Football Club executive director Kath McCann said the Rosny location was preferred because of its proximity to an already "buoyant area of the community" as well as to the city and airport, but that the club was not wedded to the parkland site.
"There is no pre-determined view from the club's perspective around a site's preferred layout.
"It's really important that we continue and we'll work with all of the stakeholders to get the best outcome for all parties in addition to delivering a terrific high-performance centre," she said.
"We need to demonstrate an openness to work through what is the best outcome for not only the club but all parties, in terms of finalising what that option is."
The state government's deal with the AFL stipulates that all planning and environmental approvals for the high-performance facility must be obtained by December.
With no formal heads of agreement signed with the state government, the council could change tack and tweak the plans for the facility.
Last year, the state government ran a site selection process for the facility, which sought expressions of interest from southern Tasmanian councils.
At the time, Kingborough mayor Paula Wriedt, who had put forward Kingston's twin ovals as a possible location for the centre, said Rosny's parklands had a "lot of construction challenges".
"I think if you look at a range of factors like the need for rezoning at Rosny as well as the development application process, combined with the challenges of the site that they have at Rosny, they have a number of easements that are over it, they have a lot of vegetation that they have to cut down," Cr Wriedt said last year.
Rosny was eventually selected due to its proximity to local businesses and connection with the broader community.
But some residents have expressed concern about a lack of consultation about plans to build the facility across the two sites.
Cr Blomeley admitted the consultation process had its failings, but pointed to a survey that received 959 responses which he says is the second-highest response of any survey the council has conducted.
The state government hopes to have the facility built and ready by 2026, giving the Tasmanian AFL team a place to train before its first season in 2028.
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