Lendlease has reached another major milestone in the demolition of Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, tearing down the eastern grandstand on Wednesday.
The Berejiklian government’s expensive plans for the two stadiums, which includes $730 million Allianz at Olympic Park and $810 million for a reconfiguration of ANZ Stadium, have been subject to much controversy, prompting calls for the spending to be redirected.
The NSW government awarded the controversial project to demolish and rebuild Allianz Stadium in Moore Park in 2017.
The demolition was slapped with a temporary injunction in the Land and Environment Court in February, pausing demolition on the roof and walls of the stadium work for two weeks.
Community group Local Democracy Matters and Waverly Council unsuccessfully argued planning minister Anthony Roberts did not consider soil contamination or design excellence requirements before approving the project and his government did not exhibit the demolition proposal for long enough.
Former NSW Labor leader Michael Daley campaigned heavily against the plan, claiming he would sack the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust's board if elected.
The SCG Trust is a NSW Government agency and manages the major Moore Park sporting facilities, including the Sydney Football Stadium and neighbouring cricket ground.
Daley also labelled works that had begun on the stadium “an act of political spite” after he previously called for the government to wait until after the state election to begin the demolition.
Justice Nicola Pain dismissed the temporary injunction finding that the group had failed to establish all three grounds.
The new Cox Architects-designed stadium will feature a state-of-the-art roof, which will light up from the underside in the home team's colours and reflect noise back into the stadium to amplify the atmosphere.
The stadium will also feature exposed natural timber beams and solar panels used to partly power the stadium as well as an eye-catching bronze facade to “reflect Sydney’s unique sandstone geology”.
The stadium is anticipated to welcome 1.2 million patrons a year once complete in 2022.
No company has yet been commissioned to build the stadium with construction of the new stadium set to commence following receipt of a stage two planning approval.
Bankwest Stadium in Sydney’s west opened last month, lauded as a “game-changer” by administrators and fans alike following the $360 million rebuild of Parramatta Stadium.
Construction commenced on the 30,000 seat stadium late-2017 on the site of the old Pirtek Stadium which was designed by Cox Architecture and built by Lend Lease in 1986.
Perth-based bank Bankwest has scooped up the coveted naming rights of the stadium, for seven years, from a short-list of six organisations.
