Councillor suggests switch of Macquarie Point stadium and Northern prison

A question relating to an alternative use for the Ashley Youth Detention site led to the suggestion at the Meander Valley Council meeting in May.

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Councillor John Temple moved the motion for the mayor to write to Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff.

It was agreed for the letter to be based on three key points which included a suggestion to swap the site of the proposed prison and stadium.

The other notes were to congratulate the Premier on the Tasmanian AFL bid, including a new stadium, and to seek greater understanding of the financial benefits of the initiative.

While the suggestion passed on a simple majority with five votes in favour, mayor Wayne Johnstone, deputy mayor Stephanie Cameron and councillor Kevin House all opposed the motion.

Cr Temple supported his motion by stating Tasmania's south had "traditionally been better at bureaucracy and managing incarcerations".

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"Whereas the North of the state is better at free enterprise," Cr Temple said.

"Recent publicity concerning Ashley demonstrates we in the North are not suited to this type of facility."

He said the Meander Valley had a history of running large community events, such as Agfest and the Tasmanian Craft Fair.

He backed access to a potential stadium at Ashley because of the easy access to the Bass Highway, easy access to a rail corridor to link up with the Launceston Airport and proximity to the Spirit of Tasmania.

Cr Temple said there hadn't been public consultation on the idea.

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Meanwhile, Cr Cameron said she wouldn't support the move because she believed it wasn't the council's business, despite Meander Valley being the "best at running events".

"I do believe it would be best to consult the community in such a bold move," she said.

Former Premier Peter Gutwein announced in 2021 Ashley would be closed and replaced with two smaller facilities.

Last year, the Ashley site was assessed by the Justice Department as a suitable site for a new proposed Northern prison.

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