Invest in Devonport's Development

The process to develop the Sports Infrastructure Master Plan began in 2019 and was developed by a working group consisting of local sporting club representatives, State sporting associations, Tasmanian Government, and Council representatives. This plan involved significant analysis of sports participation and demand and included extensive consultation with established clubs and user groups. The draft plan was released for community feedback prior to being adopted by Council in 2022.  

The final Plan adopted three Guiding Principles to inform the analysis contained in the plan, and future investment and operational decisions by Council, other levels of Government and Clubs. The Guiding Principles are: 

1. Maximising Carrying Capacity – This means increasing facility use at all available times and efficiently utilising spaces/land available. 
2. Multi-use Facilities – This means developing accessible, inclusive, multi-use facilities for sport, recreation, and broader community activities. 
3. Strategic Investment – This means working in partnership to create financially viable facilities that deliver positive social, environmental, and economic outcomes. 

Section 4 (page 12) of the Plan expands on the principles in greater detail. 

All projects considered by the Working Group in development the Plan have been ranked in order, and grouped into High, Medium, and Low Priority (page 31 to 33), with the current focus of the Council being the High priority projects. 

You can access a copy of the Master Plan here: Sports Infrastructure Master Plan  

Section 5 of the Sports Infrastructure Master Plan explores the potential future sporting infrastructure needs of the community, based on the existing precincts that are owned and operated by Council. This includes considering the capacity of these existing precincts to be further developed. 

It is important to note that the proposed precinct upgrades were not the explicit or only development options considered by the Working Group and expressed in the Plan. 

The Master Plan explicitly forecasts the need to consider alternate options to deliver on the adopted Guiding Principles, affordability, capacity, and constraints of the existing precincts:  

“Further detailed precinct planning required to consolidate, and where required rationalise assets, plus understand site capacity to support other sports and community activities.” 

(Devonport Oval, Page 17). 

“Further precinct planning will be required to determine the site’s suitability to meet future projected demand. Alternative locations for in-demand facilities may also need to be considered.” 

(Devonport Recreation Centre, Page 21). 

The Priority Investment Plan (PIP) was developed to provide the next level of detail in capturing the proposed response to seven (of the eleven) high priority projects identified in the Master Plan. The PIP proposes a number of projects, across two precincts: 

The PIP was publicly released by Council in March 2024, and used by Council in advocating for the required funding from other levels of Government to support the plan. 

You can access a copy of the Priority Investment Plan here: Priority Investment Plan 

Following completion of the Master Plan, Council commenced engagement with the sporting clubs and codes identified as being a high priority for new facility investment. The opportunity to co-locate both basketball and netball codes into a new facility was identified as the prime opportunity for Council to deliver on the three guiding principles and address a number of high priority projects. 

With the support of the clubs and codes to pursue this option, Council identified four potential sites with the capacity to accommodate the anticipated facility requirements, being: 

• 30-46 Forbes Street (Existing Devonport Recreation Centre site) 

• 3-9 Mersey Main Road (Current Devon Netball Centre) 

• 67 Caroline Street (East Devonport Recreation Centre site) 

• 16-40 James Street (Devonport Oval Precinct) 

Council considered the relative merit of each location against five criteria, being: Site Specific Characteristics; Location Characteristics; Location Connectivity; Site Impacts and Strategic Alignment. 

Several characteristics of the existing Forbes Street and Devon Netball sites resulted in a poor assessment outcome for these locations. The Devonport Oval site, and the East Devonport Recreation Centre both scored strongly against most criteria. In consultation with the key stakeholder clubs required to leave their current sites and co-locate into the new shared facility (Basketball & Netball), they both advised Council of their strong preference for the Devonport Oval site as the preferred development option.  

The Devonport Oval Sports Complex provides the best opportunity to integrate the maximum number of sporting codes and clubs, delivering enhanced utilisation of community-owned infrastructure. It will create a sporting precinct as good as any in regional Australia, underpinning the health and wellbeing of the community, supporting social connection, and driving economic activity. 

Football (AFL), cricket, athletics and cycling all currently use the Devonport Oval, and with the addition of new indoor and outdoor courts, basketball and netball along with other court-based sports will join these codes and benefit from the new facilities.  Indoor court facilities particularly, for our community of netballers will allow them to safely conduct and complete their rosters which have historically been severely affected by wet weather conditions and cancellations.   

These sports will now have access to shared social areas, high performance training facilities, administration support, quality amenities and change rooms all at a standard that would be unattainable for each code in isolation.  

In addition to the fact that many participants are also active across multiple sports, bringing codes together also fosters inclusivity, bringing broader people of all ages and backgrounds together, thus strengthening community bonds and spirit. 

Council is yet to formally determine what may occur with individual facilities or sites that may become redundant (or underutilised) as a result of new construction works. 

It is likely that the relocation of some existing codes to new locations will provide enhanced access for other sporting codes and users group. It is also likely that several existing facilities and locations will no longer be required/retained for their current use, which will provide the opportunity for Council to consider alternate uses for these sites that can deliver new benefit and support for our community. 

The new facility will be located on the eastern side of the Devonport Oval, and will replace some existing facilities on site including existing cricket club rooms, turf practice wickets, eastern public amenities and the indoor cricket training facility.  The new facility integrates with the existing grass bank at the northern end of the Oval and the banked parking area to the south-east – both elements of the site that were important to retain, and highly valued by the existing user groups and the community.

*Please view: Site Plan – Proposed Eastern Development Location included below. 

No buildings are proposed beyond the current Devonport Oval site area. This site is already classified as a major sporting facility and is zoned ‘Recreation’ under the Tasmanian Planning Scheme – which is the appropriate land use zoning for sporting & recreation facilities.

No buildings or changes to the current use and access are proposed to the foreshore reserves north of Bluff Road, Joshua Slocum Park, or the Victoria Parade foreshore area.

Council and the design team developing the plans of the new facility have been mindful of nearby residential properties, and where possible have designed the stadium complex to minimise the impact to neighbouring residents. This has included:

• Positioning the stadium complex well back from the North Fenton Street boundary;
• Orientating the northeast corner of the building to reduce visual impact to and from nearby properties on North Fenton Street and Gloucester Avenue;
• Seeking to minimise the overall building height, while complying with the functional requirements of the indoor sporting codes;
• Locating club social facilities to the northern end of the precinct, to avoid direct interface with residential properties;
• Incorporating appropriate landscaping and public walkways to ensure the precinct is further enhanced by the new development; and
• Designing lighting solutions (including external court lighting) to minimise light spill impacts onto residential proprieties and smart control mechanisms to ensure efficient energy use.

As part of the planning assessment process, a detailed Traffic Impact Assessment has been completed by an independent specialist to consider the current and future traffic and parking demands associated with the development. This report can be viewed as part of the development application information that will be released publicly.

As a part of the proposed development, a significant amount of additional on-site parking is proposed. In total, 365 designated off-street parking are provided in the precinct.

New and expanded carparking areas at the northern end of the precinct, behind the Eric Webster Stand with entry off Clements Street and Bluff Road, and additional parking at the southern end of the precinct are proposed. Planning also incorporates accessible and bicycle parking in addition to a dedicated pick up & drop-off zone.

*Please view: Site Plan – Proposed Site Plan Off Street Parking Areas included below. 

Thorough analysis has been completed of current seasonal sports rostering in conjunction with the sports clubs to understand facility demands. 

With multiple, separately accessible on-site parking options, players and spectators will be able to access the precinct relevant to them from multiple routes, with all traffic intersections and road network impacts analysed in the Traffic Impact Assessment as having sufficient capacity.  

Typical day-to-day and seasonal operations within the precinct are not considered to require any additional permanent or short-term traffic management actions.

As is the case now with larger events hosted within the precinct (such as New Years Eve, Devonport Triathlon, Motor Show etc.) short-term traffic management actions are routinely actioned based on the specific demand forecast or event-specific requirements.

Such events are a normal part of our vibrant community that not only bring us together and encourage active lifestyles, but also support local businesses with flow-on benefits to the wider community.

No construction work related to the Devonport Oval Sports Complex has commenced.

Once we complete the detailed design, obtain the necessary permits and lock in a head construction contractor, we will be able to confirm a start date.

When work does commence on site, we expect the project to be approximately a 1.5 year build.

Sign up here to stay up to date with updates on the Devonport Oval Sports Complex Project.