A say in our city’s future

the city’s setting within the wider landscape.

There is no one more highly qualified on this topic to guide the Hobart City Council on this issue.

The two Fragrance hotel proposals are currently applications before the council as the planning authority.

The council is required to consider these applications under the terms of the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 and the Sullivans Cove Planning Scheme 1997.

The council is simply not able to publicly comment at this point in time.

Once sufficient information has been lodged to enable assessment of the applications the proposals will be publicly advertised and people will have an opportunity to lodge submissions.

The proposed amendments to the Hobart Interim Planning Scheme 2015 are designed to provide greater clarity around those townscape and streetscape qualities of Hobart that are not currently well defined, and to provide guidance for all stakeholders on these important issue.

We welcome informed public comment on these changes and there will be six weeks commencing on July 22 and concluding on September 1 to make comment on the proposed changes.

Two public forums to explain the proposed amendments and the results of the Woolley (2016) Report are scheduled: TUESDAY, August 8, 5pm at the Elizabeth Street Conference Room. TUESDAY, August 15, 12.30pm, Elizabeth Street Conference Room.

In addition, the City Planning Committee will allow as much time as is necessary to consider individual or group submissions and deputations in the normal round of the committee.

The council encourages people to take the time to read the background information associated with these amendments (available on the council’s website), and to make informed comment within the six-week period available to them. There will be opportunity after this period for people who have made a written representation to make verbal submission to the council and later to the Tasmanian Planning Commission, which will have the ultimate responsibility of determining what is approved.

Notwithstanding the suggestion from Alderman Reynolds, there is ample opportunity to make your case both in writing and verbally directly to the council, who simply wish to see greater clarity for all stakeholders in the future development of the Hobart central business district. Alderman Jeff Briscoe is chair of the Hobart City Council’s City Planning Committee.