Fragrance Group’s Elizabeth St mixed use development in mediation

A controversial hotel by developers the Fragrance Group could still get the green light.

Artist impression of Fragrance Group hotel perspective as seen from Elizabeth Street. Picture: SUPPLIED

A STALLED hotel proposal in Hobart by the Fragrance Group could still get off the ground, with a refused development application being looked at by the state’s planning tribunal.

The application for a $80 million mixed-use development on Elizabeth St, proposed by the Singapore-based Fragrance, was refused by the Hobart City Council in December last year on height and heritage grounds.

The application is now going through mediation at the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal.

The proposed 12 and 13-storey twin towers in Hobart’s Mid-Town area would have 91 apartments, a 214-room hotel and underground parking for nearly 200 cars.

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The architect of the development, Western Australia-based Laurie Scanlan, could not say much about the mediation process, but hoped to have more positive news soon.

“We’re having an ongoing dialogue with the Hobart City Council, taking on board some of their comments and trying to address them in a positive way,” he told the Sunday Tasmanian.

Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal registrar Jarrod Bryan said the tribunal could not comment on the proceedings other than to say that the appeal was “still on foot, but stands adjourned, with no full hearing date currently listed”.

Planning mediation involves a case officer assisting parties in identifying the issues in dispute and finding possible options to resolve those issues.

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An application for excavation at the site was approved by the EPA last November and a new development application was lodged with the council last week for “archaeological works”.

Fragrance also has a development application before the council for another hotel in Macquarie St, on the site of the former Myer homewares store.

It would be located next door to the company’s only completed hotel in Hobart, the Ibis Styles.

An application for demolition and associated works for the new hotel was lodged with the council on February 27, but three months later is still listed on the HCC website as “under assessment”.

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