Hotel appeal hearing beckons

THE first hearing in the appeal of a major hotel development in Launceston will be held on Monday.

Global Premium Hotels, part of the Fragrance Group, in March revealed its $50 million plan to build two separate, but interconnected hotels.

The development was approved by the Launceston City Council last month.

The buildings along Tamar and Cimitiere streets — including a former Aurora Energy substation, the City Park Grand Conference Centre, the Rankin and Bond Foundry and the Alfred Harrap and Sons Warehouse — are part of the development.

The building would stand 40.3m above the footpath with 230 hotel rooms across 12 storeys, and 126 carparking bays.

The Clarion hotel would undergo an interior upgrade, while an additional guest suite wing would be added behind it.

The proposal had been assessed and approved by the Tasmanian Heritage Council.

Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson said at the time the approval was “exactly the kind of investment we’re looking to attract to our state”. Launceston Heritage Not Highrise’s Jim Collier has appealed the project to the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal on three grounds.

Mr Collier argued the height of the warehouse hotel complex was not compatible with the streetscape and character of the surrounding area, that the development site was potentially contaminated land, and that there was no evidence the excavation of the site would not adversely impact on health and environment.