Hobart City Council to vote on Welcome Stranger apartment development
The Hobart City Council has voted on a development application for a 13-storey apartment block at the site of the Welcome Stranger pub. See what will happen with the prime CBD site.
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UPDATED: THE Welcome Stranger will remain a pub for the time being after Hobart City Council refused a development application for the prime CBD site.
During a spirited debate that lasted more than an hour, members voted 7-4 to block the $30 million plan for a 13-storey apartment on the corner of Davey and Harrington streets.
The decision was in line with the council’s planning committee recommendation that the project be rejected based on advice from planning officers because it did not meet heritage elements of the planning scheme.
These included the loss of original 19th century historic fabric and its bulk, scale and siting with respect to a listed building.
Developer Hexa Group hoped to build 52 apartments and two ground floor retail tenancies across a 45m-tall building that included retaining a heritage-listed house at 59 Davey St as a wine cellar and bar.
MORE WELCOME STRANGER:
DEVELOPER LODGES PLANS FOR APARTMENTS AT PUB SITE
TALKING POINT: ADVERTISING BARRAGE WON’T AFFECT DECISION
TALKING POINT: ‘YES’ VOTE SENDS THE RIGHT MESSAGE
PLANNING COMMITTEE VOTES AGAINST APARTMENT BLOCK
Company spokesman Quinten Villanueva said they were “bitterly disappointed” with the decision.
He said the proponents would consider their options before deciding whether to appeal to the Resource Management and Planning Appeals Tribunal.
“This is a lost opportunity to revitalise what is currently an unattractive and under-utilised part of the Hobart CBD,” Mr Villanueva said.
“We worked assiduously to produce a proposal which we believe was in keeping with Hobart’s streetscape and the planning rules.”
Mr Villanueva said the council was sending mixed messages to developers.
“On the one hand council has declared a housing crisis, yet on the other they are saying the fact our development would have provided housing for 165 people was somehow irrelevant,” he said.
During the debate, before he voted in favour of refusing the application on the grounds it didn’t satisfy the planning scheme, Cr Mike Dutta said he wanted to work with developers to ensure the city didn’t lose the opportunity.
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the council made its decision based on the planning scheme and other relevant considerations.
She said all seven grounds on which the proposal had been recommended for rejection had been highlighted in meetings with the developer prior to the council meeting.
“It is a shame the developer chose to go down the route of engaging a PR firm instead of listening to this advice,” Cr Reynolds said.
“At every step of the process, we worked with the developer to make them aware what was required to meet planning regulations.
“The council is open for business and for quality developments. What we are not open for are developers who ignore the planning scheme and ignore the advice of council’s expert planning officers and advisers.”
During the debate a number of elected members also condemned comments posted online and in emails leading up to the vote about the racial background of some of the people associated with the proposal.
Mr Villanueva commended their strong stance and said it had left a sour taste in their mouths that was likely to further deter potential developers.
The council received 883 submissions on the proposal, of which 800 were against.
EARLIER: The future of one of Hobart’s most talked about recent projects is expected to be known tonight.
Hobart City elected members are expected to vote on the Welcome Stranger development at a council meeting from 5pm.
In what is expected to be a close vote, it is understood the development application is likely to be refused.
The council’s planning committee recommended the project be rejected in line with advice from planning officers.
Hexa Group wants to build 52 apartments across a 13-storey, 45m-tall building on the corner of Davey and Harrington streets.
Hexa Group spokesman Quinten Villanueva said results from a new opinion poll of more than 1700 Tasmanians showed majority support for increased inner-city residential density as one of the solutions to the current housing crisis.
Mr Villanueva said according to the poll 44 per cent supported higher density, 35 per cent were against and 21 per cent undecided.
“Increased inner-city density through projects like the 165-bed Welcome Stranger development provides more housing without contributing to further urban sprawl, and unlike urban sprawl doesn’t put additional pressure onto our already clogged roads,” he said.
But Deputy Lord Mayor Helen Burnet said the council wouldn’t be swayed by the developers’ PR blitz.
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