Housing Minister Roger Jaensch says new planning rules will allow for more apartment-style developments in urban Hobart

Multi-storey apartment blocks would be allowed and encouraged in urban Hobart under new planning rules expected to be developed over the next 12 months.

FOUR to five-storey apartment blocks would be allowed and encouraged in urban Hobart under new planning rules expected to be developed over the next 12 months.

Housing Minister Roger Jaensch said the rules would allow for apartment-style developments that would offer the benefits of inner-city living to a greater number of Tasmanians.

“These will be new planning rules and performance standards needed for driving development in medium-density, apartment-style developments in our urban areas — not in the normal residential areas, but infill in between other land use,” Mr Jaensch said.

“We’re going to — as quickly as we can — get the rules together and get the process sorted so we can get the benefit of this sort of development, more houses and more choice for Tasmanians in our urban areas.”

The process would take about a year, be done in consultation with the greater Hobart councils and cost about $100,000, Mr Jaensch said.

There was no commitment for affordable housing targets within the new rules, which would apply primarily to land along the northern suburbs rail corridor.

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Housing Minister Roger Jaensch (centre) with the Property Council’s Brian Wightman and Matthew Pollock from the Master Builders Association. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Hobart City Council Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the council was generally supportive of medium-density residential development.

“If we’re going to move to medium density it has to be planned well and designed well so we’ll be interested to see what the government comes up with and provide input and provide the input of the community as well,” Cr Reynolds said.

Property Council of Tasmania executive director Brian Wightman said he supported mechanisms that could streamline residential development in Hobart.

“There are some statutory time frames that we think should be shortened to get these developments quicker to market,” Mr Wightman said.

Master Builders Association executive director Matthew Pollock said Tasmania needed 2500 to 3000 new dwellings every year for the next five years to keep pace with population growth.