5-7 Sandy Bay Rd: Fragrance Group development at old Conservatorium of Music site approved
A developer has learned the fate of their proposal for the old Conservatorium of Music site on Sandy Bay Rd, with the Hobart City Council making a call on whether to approve the plans.
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A multimillion-dollar development has been approved at the site of the old ABC headquarters and former home of the Conservatorium of Music after Hobart City Council officers recommended the project be refused due to heritage concerns.
The development at 5-7 Sandy Bay Rd, opposite St Davids Park, will include more than 70 visitor accommodation units, as well as residential townhouses and a ground floor cafe on the corner of Sandy Bay Rd and Wilmot St.
The applicant is the Singapore-based Fragrance Group, whose previous plans for the site were approved by the council in 2020 and involved the proposed construction of 45 apartments.
But the developer has now been given the green light to bring a new plan to fruition, which will see the height of the development reduced from 33m to 27m and the proposed apartments replaced with 75 serviced visitor accommodation units and 12 townhouses.
A 1950s brick cottage will be demolished to make way for a basement carpark and private open space.
At a meeting on Wednesday night, the council’s Planning Authority Committee unanimously voted to approve the project, despite a recommendation for refusal from council officers, who said the removal of the cottage at 8A Heathfield Ave would result in a loss of heritage significance in the Hampden Road Heritage Precinct.
A heritage-listed giant mosaic mural, created by George Davis, is located on the Sandy Bay Rd frontage of the development site and will be retained.
Speaking on behalf of Fragrance Group, Ireneinc senior planner Phil Gartrell argued that the cottage slated for demolition was the only one on Heathfield Ave that did not have heritage protections.
“The cottage has been used for office administration purposes, associated with the previous university and Conservatorium use on the site,” he said.
“The retention [of the cottage] would limit the ability to accommodate the proposed basement carpark and would reduce the site area available for the new units, significantly altering the orientation, design, and provision of private open space.”
Councillor Ben Lohberger praised the development, saying it sat “beautifully in the streetscape” and was not “too big”.
“I think it is a very good development and I would very much like to see it go ahead,” he said.
Acting Lord Mayor Zelinda Sherlock said it was a “really thoughtful application”, while Councillor Bill Harvey described the proposal as a “good outcome for the site”.
“I don’t necessarily love the form of the residential townhouses but they are what they are so I’m supportive of those, as well. Overall, I think this is a good development for that site. It’s been sitting vacant now for quite a number of years,” Mr Harvey said.
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Originally published as 5-7 Sandy Bay Rd: Fragrance Group development at old Conservatorium of Music site approved
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