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It was going to be similar to Commbank. Labor cancelled the preferred option of building the stadium next door on Penrith Paceway site, and also the $309M funding is lower than it should be as an inflation has not been factored in.
Stuart Ayres on Facebook (former NSW member for Penrith and sports minister)
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BdEwYxHME/?mibextid=WC7FNe
A lot of people have asked me about the Penrith Stadium announcement this week and why Penrith isn’t getting the new stadium that was promised by both sides of politics at the election?
In doing so lots of people have said they don’t understand why Penrith isn’t getting something similar to Parramatta or Townsville. All good questions, so let me explain…
Townsville (Picture 1) was a new build with 25,000 seats and cost $250 million to construct.
Parramatta (Picture 2) was a new build with 30,000 seats and cost $360 million to construct.
Penrith (Picture 3) is a refurbishment that will cost $309m. It will see a rebuilt Western Stand and upgraded Eastern Stand. Capacity is expected to get to 25,000.
So what happened….
In short Labor cut somewhere between $120-140m from the project. They did this by not adjusting for inflation.
See the $309m they said they would spend was from 2020. The value of that figure has been going down every year, so it needs to be adjusted for inflation to maintain its real value.
A another way of saying this, is that if the project that was announced this week was priced when the $309m was originally then it would only have been $160-$180m. So in real terms its been cut between $120-140m from the original allocation.
I’d place a confident bet that Penrith Stadium is the only significant infrastructure project in NSW that has NOT been adjusted for inflation in its budget. What I don’t know is why Penrith was treated differently???
So that’s how Parramatta and Townsville get new stadiums and Penrith is shortchanged and gets the second class option.
And in some perverse way of reinforcing this second class option they aren’t going to move the sewerage treatment plant. (Seriously who spends hundreds of millions and doesn’t move that)
Getting an upgrade to the stadium is nice but if you think something about this stinks you might be on to something….
25k capacity on current east west build. It is designed for the south hill to be converted to a stand if/when funding becomes available. I think it then becomes 27k capacity
westernweekender.com.au
considering the redevelopment didnt finish until 2003 of course it was too small in 2001 when it was a hole in the ground
You know what I mean mate. The redevelopment started in 2001 and was announced at 52.5k, always too small considering the Broncos were playing at a 57k capacity QE2 at the time and had built their average attendances over 40o before the rot of the SL war set in
I don't think it would be feasible to retro-fit a roof to any stadium of this size.
Penrith Stadium
Capacity could reach 28,000 if the southern hill is replaced with a grandstand.
Penrith Stadium capacity could have been 28,000 - but only if southern hill was axed • The Western Weekender
Penrith Stadium’s capacity could be increased to 28,000 if a grandstand was developed at the southern end of the ground, it has been revealed.
