Hobart City Council approves cut-down hotel for Elizabeth St

A  $40 MILLION hotel development in Hobart’s CBD has been approved by council after investors made major adjustments to the design, including removing 10m from the original plan.

An artist’s impression of the original design for the Palace Hotel tower to be built on the site of the old Westpac Bank in the Elizabeth St bus mall.

A  $40 MILLION hotel development in Hobart’s CBD has been approved by council after investors made major adjustments to the design, including removing 10m from the original plan, which would have been Hobart’s tallest building.

With the exception of Greens Helen Burnet and Anna Reynolds, alderman voted to app­rove the Palace Hotel dev­elopment by Singapore-based Elizabeth Tasmania Pty Ltd on the site of the former Westpac building in the bus mall.

In the weeks since council deferred its decision, the developer redesigned the hotel.

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Adjustments include taking 10m off the first tower and 4.6m off the second, setting it further back from Elizabeth St (now 8.7m), adding a basement level, adding a function room, changing the facade from concrete to sandstone and increasing rooms from 196 to 206.

The proposed 63m-high hotel will be five star with a restaurant, rooftop bar and pool. The original design had the taller of the two towers at 73m — the same height as Wrest Point casino.

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Ald Burnet moved an amendment to remove a further 3m from the height of the building, which did not succeed

At last night’s council meeting, Lord Mayor Sue Hickey said the hotel would provide much-needed accommodation and add vitality to the CBD.

“This hotel will add to 94,000 visitor nights and vis­itors will spend $18 million,” she said.

Ald Bill Harvey said the dev­eloper had made significant concessions to the design.

“The 206 rooms are, I think, necessary in that area. We have spent a lot of money on the Collins Court redevelopment,’’ he said.

“The Trafalgar area at the back is an underused space, so I hope the whole area will bec­ome more and more popular.

“The issue I had with the view from the waterfront has been resolved with the rem­oval of 10 metres.”

Ald Peter Sexton said he would not have supported the hotel on the previous design.

“The changes made by the developer are so substantial that they will ensure the best possible development on that block, bearing in mind that it has to be a sustainable and profitable business.”

In voting against the hotel, Ald Reynolds said the building was 17m over the height limit.

“This is a special block and we need to be very careful about the design,” she said.