Thomas slams building heights ‘armageddon’

Plans to cap building heights in central Hobart spelled “armageddon” and would put tens of millions of dollars of development on hold, an alderman says.

An aerial view of Hobart’s CBD, which could face a new building height limit of 45m. Picture: AERIAL VISION AUSTRALIA

PLANS to cap building heights in central Hobart to 45m spelled “armageddon” for development in the city and would put tens of millions of dollars worth of development on hold, Alderman Damon Thomas says.

Hobart City Council’s planning committee endorsed the limit this week, and it will be considered by the full council on Monday night.

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Alderman Thomas, who will miss the vote due to an overseas trip, said the 45m cap would have a chilling effect on development.

“It’s an armageddon. It’s a point in time where we have to be extremely careful,” he said.

“We have become the place to watch, the place to live and the place to invest in, but it’s all going to fall by the wayside, I’m afraid, because of this. We cannot commission a report at the ratepayers’ expense, spending a lot of money, then months of work by the statutory planner and a public exhibition period and then you get a casual submission to the contrary.

“I will not stand by and watch this council get itself into a situation where it’s personal preference as opposed to professional process.

“You’re talking millions and millions of dollars of lost development opportunities – and it’s not just commercial developments, it’s also affordable housing.”

Alderman Damon Thomas and Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the proposed 45m limit had been in place for a long time in the city, and was lower in places.

“The council will discuss and debate this on Monday, no decision has been made,” she said, noting there would be time for public submissions on the decision.

“There’s still plenty of time for conversation, debate, discussion and input.

“What is being proposed is business as usual rather than anything dramatic. I think it’s a little overdramatic to suggest that basically sticking to our current height limits will change the optimistic and positive trajectory Hobart is on.”

Ald Reynolds said the height debate was about preserving what makes Hobart special.

“The reasons people are attracted to Hobart and people come here and flock to visit from other states is because we are different, we have retained our heritage feel, we’re a vibrant small city, we’re different to every other Australian capital.”

She said there were plenty of opportunities for sympathetic residential development in the Hobart mid-town areas.

Ald Thomas said council members were coming under extreme pressure from an organised email campaign in support of the 45m cap.

“It can’t be people waking up and all within an hour deciding to send an email. You don’t know whether these people are from Hobart, or Melbourne or Afghanistan,” he said.