Revised development application for the Windermere Bay Precinct expected to be submitted to the council soon

The project has long lay dormant, however the people behind a housing and community development at an old school site in Hobart’s northern suburbs say ‘they’ve been working very hard’.

The former Claremont Primary School, where a major residential and mixed use development was approved in 2021. However nothing has been built at the site and the development is currently on hold.

The architecture firm tasked with designing the proposed Windermere Bay Precinct at the former Claremont Primary School site says it will be submitting its revamped plans to the Glenorchy City Council “next week”.

The proposed precinct was initially planned to have 315 apartments and townhouses, local shops, a cafe, facilities including a gym and pool, and a childcare centre.

It was granted a development permit in March 2021.

But post-Covid pressures meant that last year the Glenorchy City Council deemed the project “dormant.”

Development of former Claremont Primary School

However, Circa Morris-Nunn Associate Director Dik Jarman told The Mercury it had been anything but that.

“We’ve been working very hard on developing the project,” Mr Jarman said.

“We got a DA, and it was during Covid and all sorts of things occurred – which changed the numbers of any project, especially large-scale projects across Tasmania.

“And so we had to revisit and figure out how to make it all work.”

The main school building on the site was originally going to be turned into a community hall as part of the Windermere Bay Precinct, but Mr Jarman says now it will be a medical centre.

“The northern suburbs are under-represented in terms of doctors, so we have a firm which is going to put a medical facility in there so we can have he community coming in.

“The precinct is still going to be open to the community because we were very keen not to privatise it.”

Aerial photos of old Claremont School which will be turned into housing. Picture: Zak Simmonds

As part of the revised development application, Mr Jarman said the amount of houses planned for the site will be reduced.

“I think the community will appreciate that because the greatest conversation has been the numbers and height of the houses.

“We’re maintaining a reasonable density, but it’s not going to be quite as dense as it was.

“The cost of building things has gone up so much over time that it can make it more financially feasible to do medium-density instead.

Mr Jarman expected the cost of the precinct to be “under $100m overall”.

Glenorchy Mayor Sue Hickey said the proponents of the Windermere Bay Precinct had been in contact with the council and had been assured that progress was being made.

“The council considers that the creation of more homes is important, especially during a housing shortage, and remediation of the old Claremont School site is very important to ensure it is cared for and well maintained,” Ms Hickey said.

“The site is zoned Inner Residential under the Statewide Planning Scheme.

“The proposed development is consistent and appropriate for the zoning which does allow developments like this to be undertaken.

“The council always follows due process in any development proposals, ensuring the development is consistent to the zoning.”

Originally published as Revised development application for the Windermere Bay Precinct expected to be submitted to the council soon