Potentially scaled-back ice rink project 'moving in right direction', as location locked in -- Canberra Times

Canberra Times' Melanie Dinjaski on 21 November 2025 reported that "with one step forward there may need to be a few steps back before construction can get under way for a new twin-sheet ice sports facility in Tuggeranong - though developers have also admitted they considered walking away entirely".

The delayed project is seemingly back on track for the originally proposed site in Greenway as the ACT government ruled out any location change suggested by developers following concerns about the land the southside facility will be built on.

Cruachan Investments and Pelligra Holdings - developers that won the contract to own, operate and maintain the much-needed new sports venue - also raised questions about its long-term sustainability located in the ACT's south, instead of somewhere more central in Majura Park or Commonwealth Park.

Cruachan Investments managing director Stephen Campbell - who is also the owner of the Canberra Brave - has accepted Tuggeranong will be the site of the facility with two international-standard ice sheets for figure skating, broomball, speed skating and ice hockey, as well as curling sheets and an indoor rock-climbing wall.

But the developers said they also considered going out on their own and abandoning the project backed by ACT government funding.

"We are moving in the right direction," Campbell said."We're committed to building an ice rink project in the ACT. There is an option for us to walk away, and certainly that's a consideration.

"It might be better for us to walk away from the government proposal, buy an alternate site and put up a facility that might not have the same level of amenity that was initially envisioned, but that would be a bad outcome for ice sports.

"If that's the only way of getting a project up that's going to be viable long-term then that's a decision that needs to be made, but I don't believe it's an optimal one."

The developers do not believe the $16.2 million of ACT government funding allocated for the project in 2023 will be sufficient, given the earthworks required on the sloped Greenway site. Last year Campbell estimated the total project cost would be "considerably more" than $50 million.

To try and bring down that amount without moving out of Tuggeranong, developers have now proposed reducing the seating capacity, which initially aimed to accommodate up to 3,600 spectators, and that suggestion was formally sent back to the government this week.

Now developers have been given a mid-January deadline to provide more details, including plans with drawings, estimators to provide costings and analysis of the long-term viability.

"They have requested a more detailed proposal, and that's a lot of work involved - another 70-page document," Campbell told The Canberra Times. "We have sought to look at different building options to make Tuggeranong work ... however it still doesn't negate our major concerns about location which was really about having a facility that can be accessed by everybody equitably.

"There is still such a long way to go. These are big projects, and when you have multiple parties involved, they take a long time."

On Tuesday morning developers expressed frustration at a "constant barrage of criticism" toward them after a petition was launched critical of delays with the Tuggeranong project. Campbell said the government had only sent the final draft agreement in July, two years after the developers were announced.

There were also several steps that the government had to undertake in that time since, such as environmental assessments.

The government responded this week to the developers' last correspondence on October 3, ruling out alternative locations to Greenway. Campbell assured the public that developers do want to work with the government on getting the facility built, but it had to carefully consider its objectives for the project too.

"We said in our response that we would look at how we can make Tuggeranong work," he said. "We'd also advise them that building a 3500 seat stadium doesn't make sense, given that Canberra Brave won't be playing out at Tuggeranong because we've got a long-term contract with the AIS, and in our next move we'd like to be at the new convention centre with an 8000-seat stadium."

The Brave won the Minister's Award for Event Excellence at the Canberra Sport Awards on Thursday night, which recognised the success of the team's move from Phillip Ice Rink to selling out AIHL home games at the AIS Arena this past season. The move to the AIS Arena and plans for a new convention centre precinct in the city were developments just this year, well after the new Tuggeranong ice sports facility plans were announced in 2023, having first been flagged by Chief Minister Andrew Barr in 2016.

Campbell will be meeting with representatives from sporting bodies Ice Hockey ACT and ACT Broomball in the coming weeks to provide updates on the Tuggeranong project to date.

Developers have urged patience in the process, as a timeline on when the project will be completed remains unclear.

Even in a best case scenario for developers, if scaled-back plans for the Tuggeranong facility are greenlit in January, it's still difficult to estimate when construction would begin and be completed.

"It would again be dependent on government departments and how quickly it can approve planning and development," Campbell said.

On the issue raised this week of developers not knowing the price of the Greenway land before the contract is finalised and signed, the government clarified the process.

"City and Environment Directorate (CED) has not received a direct sale application for the allocated site on Rowland Crescent for the Tuggeranong ice sports facility," a government spokesperson said. "If an application is received, the direct sale team will assess its eligibility and seek a government decision. Once a decision has been made and any conditions on the direct sale have been met, only then will the government obtain land valuations to determine the value of the land.

"Three land valuations are sought and the highest of the three determines the land value, consistent with government policy including the CED Valuation Policy. Independent land valuations are done at the time an offer for a lease is made, noting that a land valuation has a validity period of 90 days."

Campbell responded and said he would be willing to meet with government representatives to find a way forward in the delayed project.

"We'd like to know what the land is going to cost us before we commit to a project," he said. "Our concern is if you sign the project agreement that then becomes a legally-binding document... getting the land value done post-agreement really puts us in a precarious position."