‘ROO BLUE BREWS

COUNCILLORS URGED TO GIVE DEVELOPER MORE TIME DESPITE COMMUNITY ANGST

CLARENCE City Council staff have recommended granting Cham broad a two-year extension to begin work on an $80m hotel and hospitality school at Kangaroo Bay.

But concerned residents have presented the council with a new petition calling on them to buy back the waterfront land.

The request for more time was made by Chinese company Cham broad after concerns by Clarence aldermen in recent weeks about the prospects of the project and speculation about its future if construction had not started by the middle of this month.

CONCERNED residents have presented the Clarence City Council with a new petition calling on them to buy back waterfront land from a private developer, despite a recommendation not to.

Council staff have recommended elected members vote on Monday to approve another extension of time for the developers of the contentious $80m Kangaroo Bay hospitality school and hotel.

The request by Chinese company Cham broad came after concerns by aldermen in recent weeks about the future of the project and speculation the council may enact a buyback clause for the land if construction had not started by mid-October.

In a report released on Thursday, the extension is recommended until October 13, 2022, as the “lowest risk” option and the council is set to:

ACKNOWLEDGE the challenges that have confronted C ham broad and the University of Tasmania as ac on sequence of the pandemic, and the noncompliance with the agreed time limit for substantial commencement arises for reasons not within their reasonable control.

THE mayor and general manager be briefed on progress immediately following each six-monthly review meeting, or at any other time that a critical decision related to the site or project is to be made, with an update report to be provided for tabling in open council.

BEFORE any decision to begin works at the site, the general manager must be notified. Chambroad is to provide council access to the agreements with UTAS (or another educational partner), with a hotel operator and the head contract with the principal construction contractor. UPON completion of the requirements above, the general manager will issue Chambroad a certificate that confirms council is satisfied they can reasonably complete the project. A buyback clause would still exist if substantial commencement has not occurred by the new 2022 deadline. The council sold the land to C ham broad for $2.44 min 2017 and the council previously granted two other extensions of time to the developer.

Chambroad previously said its request for an extension was supported by the office of the Co-Ordinator-General, and UTAS, which had signed a memorandum of understanding to run the hospitality training school.

The council report said advice from UTAS was it “intends to defer its final decision on the project until there is increased certainty of student numbers and industry recovery”.

“C ham broad has advised it received tender sin June 2020 from three short-listed Tasmanian construction firms and prepared an early works building application for lodgement ,” the report said.

“These activities strongly suggest reasonable steps were taken to comply with the 14 October 2020 time limit for substantial commencement and the COVID pandemic is the main reason that the time limit was not met.”

Bellerive resident Anne Geard presented a petition signed by more than 2000 people to council on Thursday calling on them to buy back the land .“The developers had plenty of time to make a substantial start prior to the corona virus ,” she said.

“We’ d like to see the site as public open space, with a ferry wharf, small restaurants and shops, bikeways and walkways, public art and maybe boutique accommodation .”

Liberal MP Elise Archer said the government “understood residents concerns ”.

Greens MP Rosa lie Woodruff urged the council to start the buy back process.

“It’s been three years since the project’s approval, yet no substantial work has been commenced by the developer – what’s left for residents is a massive dirt eye sore on prime waterfront property on the beautiful Eastern Shore,” she said.