TasTAFE Launceston redevelopment: Stage 1 of $95m reUNIÒN project gets the nod

The first stage of a $95m redevelopment of a defunct TasTAFE campus has been approved, with the project to eventually include boutique apartments, cafes, restaurants, a brewery, distillery, and five-star hotel.

The historic TasTAFE campus at 10-16 Wellington St, Launceston, is set for a $50m redevelopment into a luxury mixed-use precinct. Picture: Alex Treacy

The first stage of a $95m redevelopment of a defunct TasTAFE campus in Tasmania’s North has been approved by council, with the project to eventually include boutique apartments, cafes, restaurants, a brewery, distillery, and five-star hotel.

Red Panda Property Group, owned by Sandy Bay developer Andrew McCullagh said its “world-class mixed-use lifestyle precinct,” reUNIÒN, would “reinvigorate and redefine the greater Launceston CBD area”.

Under the now-approved first stage, the heritage-listed TasTAFE buildings at 10–16 Wellington St would be refitted and expanded to include 14 boutique one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments and the plethora of food and beverage options.

Artistic render of reUNION Precinct, Red Panda Property Group's $50m redevelopment of Launceston's defunct TasTAFE building on Wellington St. Picture: Red Panda Property Group

The apartments, which will start at a cool $1.5m, will be accompanied by a “new concept of a fully appointed five-star shared space which includes formal dining, library, workspace, and formal lounge and bar for the owners,” Red Panda said in a statement.

Part of the development also includes a large, purpose-build courtyard that will eventually link the heritage-listed buildings to the new hotel, which will be the subject of a future development application.

Northern Midlands mayoral candidate Andrew McCullagh, a property developer born in Longford. Picture: Facebook

The Mercury previously reported that Mr McCullagh had broken off the project into two stages over concerns that his hotel, which at this stage would feature 139 rooms and rise to a height of 25m, would face community opposition leading to delays.

Two additional luxury hotel proposals in Launceston, JAC Group’s Gorge Hotel and Global Premium Hotels Limited’s Fragrance hotel on Cimitiere St, have been bogged down in appeals.

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A Red Panda spokesman said it expected to be able to provide an update on its hotel by the end of November.

The estimated price tag of reUNIÒN, $95m, represents a sharp increase on Mr McCullagh’s initial budget estimate of $50m. That figure crept north to $65–$70m as the project gestated, before taking another jump recently.

Mr McCullagh said reUNIÒN was well-situated to help revive an area of Launceston’s CBD that had typically seen less foot traffic than the activity centres around Brisbane St.

“reUNIÒN is situated in a truly unique position, surrounded by the Queen Victoria Art Gallery – which has a $70 million overhaul pending – and Royal Park, offering a natural linkage between the CBD and world-renowned Cataract Gorge, as well as the Seaport area,” he said.