BUILDING BLOCKS
Developer has confidence in city’s recovery
HOBART property owner Mary Brownell represents a new wave of developers recognising the need for infill housing in the state capital.
Despite challenging times, she is pushing ahead with a high-end apartment complex,
The Rox, due for completion in March.
It comes as Hobart City Council reveals 918 planning applications, with a value of $285m, were approved for 2019-2020, up from 875 in 2018-2019.
Ms Brownell said she had confidence in the city’s post-COVID-19 recovery.
“There will be a blip for a while, but Tassie is such a wonderful place and there will be a lot of people wanting to get out of the big cities, and investment will flow from that.”
THE proposed developments in Hobart which received the highest number of official public comments for and against have been revealed.
The Hobart City Council has provided the Mercury with data which shows which projects in the past five years have sparked the most interest from the public, either in support or objection.
The project which raised the most ire was a proposal by Singaporean developers the Fragrance Group for a 55mhigh hotel with conference facilities including a 1000-seat conference hall on Collins St.
It attracted 1459 public representations, of which only three were in support of the project.
It should be noted that a substantial number of representations were facilitated by interest groups using a preprepared form, rather than independently prepared submissions.
It was not the only Fragrance Group project to make the list.
The company’s proposal for 12- and 13-storey towers in North Hobart housing a 214room hotel and 91 apartments, and a residential apartment complex on Sandy Bay Rd were also included.
The proposals that received the most number of representations to their Hobart planning application are as follows:
2 Collins St, Hobart 1459 representations
(all but three against) Refused on January 21, 2019
Fragrance Group’s second attempt to build a large-scale highrise hotel in Hobart’s CBD ultimately failed. It was proposed to feature 256 rooms, conference facilities including a 1000-seat conference hall, meeting spaces, two restaurants, a retail space, a pool and wellness centre, and three levels of above-ground carparking totalling 167 spaces.
Aldermen voted 10-1 to refuse the application because of its height, the hotel’s domination of other buildings in the area, and a failure to complement the character of Sullivans Cove.
222–228, 234, 236–240 and 242–250 Elizabeth St, 213 Murray St, 68 Warwick St and 72 Warwick St, Hobart
1322 representations (all but three in support) Refused on December 17, 2018
Fragrance Group’s controversial $80m North Hobart twin towers project was rejected 8-3.
The firm applied to build the 12and 13-storey towers, which would have housed a 214-room hotel, 91 apartments and underground parking for nearly 200 cars.
The project has been in mediation for some time and has been listed for a further directions hearing on August 19 at the state’s planning tribunal.
58 Harrington St, Hobart 883 representations Refused on July 8, 2019
Elected members voted 7-4 to refuse the $30m redevelopment plan for the Welcome Stranger Hotel which would have included a 13-storey apartment complex.
The decision was in line with the council’s planning committee recommendation that the project be rejected based on advice from planning officers because it did not meet heritage elements of the planning scheme. The state’s planning tribunal later backed the council’s ruling on appeal.
315 Elizabeth St, North Hobart
840 representations (all but seven in support of the proposal) Approved on December 2, 2019
In a reverse trend, the retrospective application for Boodle Beasley’s beer garden garnered enormous public support, with more than 800 people writing in favour of the proposal.
A Hobart City Council investigation had found the owners had carried out building works without a building permit or valid authorisation, and the rear of the property was being used for food service purposes without a permit.
Elected members voted 7-3 to approve the application.
5-7 Sandy Bay Rd, Hobart
353 representations (all but one against) Deferred in May 2020, currently readvertised
Another Fragrance Group project, located on the former site of the University of Tasmania’s Conservatorium of Music, was for 55 apartments, plus a ground floor cafe, parking for 88 cars, a communal pool and gym. The project was pulled at the last minute at the council meeting in May for further consultation and a smaller, scaledback version is currently being readvertised.
9 Sandy Bay Rd, Hobart 209 representations (all against) Approved on May 25, 2020
Melbourne-based firm Moda’s first Tasmanian project for a $20m luxury inner-city apartments complex opposite St David’s Park got the tick of approval 10-2 from elected members despite the high number of public objections. Council officers found the scale of the development was appropriate.