Hobart City Council to consider motion on expressions of interest for Condell Place carpark in North Hobart again

The redevelopment of the Condell Place carpark in North Hobart is back on the agenda as local traders’ frustrations reach boiling point.

North Hobart Traders Association president John Kelly at Condell Place carpark in North Hobart. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE.

NORTH Hobart businesses are hopeful the Hobart City Council will start an expressions of interest process for more parking in the popular precinct after years of inaction.

In July last year, North Hobart businesses and residents were left frustrated after the council rejected calls for an expressions of interest for the Condell Place car park at the rear of the Elizabeth St strip to be transformed into a multi-level residential block and expanded car park to ease the traffic congestion around the area.

There had been two informal approaches to the council, from separate developers, seeking to submit proposals for development of the car park.

TRADERS ASSOCIATION SAYS LACK OF PARKING OPTIONS HURTING BUSINESSES

But at a closed council meeting aldermen instead asked for another report and a parking plan for North Hobart.

Alderman Marti Zucco has now submitted a notice of motion for tonight’s finance and governance committee meeting calling for the council to immediately pursue expressions of interest for the site.

Alderman Marti Zucco. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

“North Hobart is one of Hobart’s premier dining locations playing host to a significant number of patrons on a daily basis — the required infrastructure needs to be in place to cater for this demand,” he said.

State Cinema owner and North Hobart Traders Association president John Kelly said local businesses were beyond frustrated with the situation.

“This has been going on far too long — we’re just sick of it and it’s high time the council showed some vision and initiative,” he said.

“In the past, they’ve supported other car park developers with rates reductions, but that’s been in the CBD, they’ve done nothing for North Hobart — it’s all talk.”

A development application is currently before the council for Chemist Warehouse to open a store in the former Chickenfeed site, which has frontages to Elizabeth St and the Condell St car park at the rear. The building has been vacant since the defunct chain store was closed in September 2012. There have been 11 representations against the proposal submitted to council, which claim the opening of the store would make parking in North Hobart even more scarce.

“The North Hobart business and restaurant strip has a unique identity and will lose its appeal if accessibility becomes more limited,” one objection stated.

The report by council officers recommends the application be approved.

“There is no doubt there is pressure on the availability of carparking throughout certain peak periods in the North Hobart precinct,” the report reads.

“However, to suggest that a retail business should not operate within an existing retail space due to what is considered to be a broader issue of parking availability in the area is considered, to a degree, unreasonable.”

The traders association and Ald Zucco will hold a public meeting on the issue this Sunday at 4.30pm at the Uniting Church in Swan St.