Richard Flanagan joins opponents of plans for new high-rise hotels in Hobart

HOBART must decide what type of city it wants to become as the council prepares to consider proposals for two new skyscrapers that would forever alter the landscape, world renowned Tasmanian author Richard Flanagan says.

Leading Tasmanian author Richard Flanagan has criticised plans for skyscrapers in Hobart. Picture: Mike Keating.

HOBART must decide what type of city it wants to become as the council prepares to consider proposals for two new skyscrapers that would forever alter the landscape, world renowned Tasmanian author Richard Flanagan says.

The Man Booker Prize-winning writer joins other high-profile opponents of the plan, writing in today’s Talking Point about his concerns regarding the proposals from Singaporean company Fragrance Group, left.

“Unremarkable, unfriendly, and ugly — they show no respect for our city,” Flanagan writes about the buildings.

“Much of the waterfront will be thrown in shade. Erratic wind patterns will become the

norm in our city’s most popular district.

“Our future great buildings need to be of our city, not hostile to it, developed in imaginative, contemporary and dynamic ways that make our world richer and our lives better. The Fragrance high rises do none of these things.

“We face a much larger, more fundamental choice about what city we wish to live in, a medium-rise city or a high-rise city.”

On Monday night, the Hobart City Council will vote on whether or not to grant landowner consent, which would enable the company to move ahead with lodging a planning application for its proposed 479-room hotel and conference facility in Collins St.

A council memo obtained by the Mercury shows the building, originally advertised as 75m tall, will be “83m to the roof of the building’s rooftop plant and 92.3m to the top of the building’s mast”.

A development application for a 120m, 400-room hotel in Davey St also was lodged with the council by Fragrance last week.

Fragrance’s first hotel, a 39m, 296-room establishment in Macquarie St, is nearing completion. A fourth project, a hotel development planned for Elizabeth St, is in the works, with the application expected to be lodged within weeks.

Lord Mayor Sue Hickey said open-mindedness was important when considering the issue of the vision for the city.

“Some change in thinking is necessary,” Ald Hickey said.

“Although I will always champion the protection of genuine heritage, I still believe every generation has its right to leave its own architecture.”

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Michael Bailey has said the business community supported the developments.

But heritage architect Robert Morris-Nunn, the design brains behind the likes of Saffire and the new Macq 01 development, said the proposals were inappropriate for the city.

Flanagan encouraged those who “care about our city’s future” to contact Hobart aldermen and “tell them not to grant this approval”.

The Fragrance Group could not be contacted.