Save UTAS want university CBD move stopped, including $131m old forestry building redevelopment

The forestry building UTAS is redeveloping will become a “white elephant”, Save UTAS says, who want the university to remain at Sandy Bay.

One lane of Brisbane Street remains closed to accommodate building works. Update on the progress of work being done on the old forestry building to make it ready for staff and students from UTAS. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The UTAS forestry building will become a “white elephant” and should be sold to the government for offices, Save UTAS co-chair Michael Foster says.

He said with the law school no longer moving from the Sandy Bay campus to the new building it would be “irrational” to move the university’s administration to Hobart.

“It’s a project that UTAS wishes it hadn’t started but is stuck with,” he said.

Save UTAS Co-Chairs Mike Foster.

“Without a relocated university there is no purpose to the building.

“It would be irrational to locate UTAS administration in the city without any parking when it can, and logically should, stay conveniently located on the campus.

“Students and staff would have to bus in to the city to see admin.”

Mr Foster described the building as “Tasmania’s most extravagant refurbishment” and said the money would have been better spent on refurbishing STEM at Sandy Bay.

“All UTAS can do now is show off the architectural achievements that you get with such an extravagant spend.

“We have suggested to key government ministers that it would help if the government could buy the forestry building for government purposes.”

Update on the progress of work being done on the old forestry building to make it ready for staff and students from UTAS. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Prof Vice-Chancellor for Southern Tasmania Professor Nicholas Farrelly said the university’s “shift and consolidation of academic activities into central Hobart” has been under way for 15 years.

“We already have a significant proportion of the Hobart based university here in the CBD, and the forestry redevelopment will ensure that we have facilities in the right place for our students into the decades to come,” he said.

“We’re also keen to continue discussions about our Sandy Bay site and to ensure that it has an opportunity to fit into the university’s long term plans.

“The university has been listening to community concerns now over a number of years, and we look forward in the not too distant future to continued engagement with a range of local, state and federal government stakeholders to ensure that we can make the most of our Sandy Bay assets.”

Originally published as Save UTAS want university CBD move stopped, including $131m old forestry building redevelopment