Council sets major University of Tasmania development in motion

A council has approved the lease transfer of a key site to the University of Tasmania for development.

THE Show Society will be debt free when it hands over its lease of its Inveresk site to the University of Tasmania.

Launceston City Council on Thursday voted through a motion to allow the University to pay the Show Society $1.3 million to take over the lease and develop the space into a carpark.

Council will retain ownership of the land and the Royal National Agricultural and Pastoral Society of Tasmania will be required to repay its more than $150,000 debt to council.

UTAS will cop the cost of the $4.5 million carpark development, but the split of maintenance and operational costs is yet to be decided.

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The plan will deliver 852 new car spaces to the Inveresk Precinct for public and student use, which Councillor Hugh McKenzie said takes the parking argument off the table in regard to council and University Inveresk Precinct development plans.

The proposed carpark, combined with parking opportunities in the middle of the precinct and south of the North Esk River, will provide more than 1100 car spaces.

That includes 159 spaces from the redesign of the Half Circle Car Park, 90 spaces across the Willis St and Becks Mitre 10 sites, and student parking developed alongside student accommodation.

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The Northern car park redevelopment Inveresk – Proposed design. Picture: SUPPLIED

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Launceston) Professor Dom Geraghty called the parking plan a step forwards in the university’s Northern Transformation Program, ensuring the current 527-space public parking demand in the precinct will be met.

The plan was developed after the Show Society approached the University in August last year.

“We think this is a strong proposal that provides a good outcome for the University, the City of Launceston and the Show Society,” Professor Geraghty said.

University of Tasmania Professor Vice Chancellor (Launceston) Dom Geraghty. Picture: SUPPLIED

Executive director of the UTAS Northern Campus Transformation said the carpark would become a valuable community asset into the future.

Show Society CEO Brian Bennett said the deal was a win-win for all stakeholders.

“It will keep us in a financially stable position,” he said.

“It resolves a critical issue for UTAS in their management planning.”

Launceston Chamber of Commerce CEO Neil Grose said the move was “very sensible planning” and allowed the Show Society to develop a “new future”.

“We do see this as a really strong signal to the North that the northern transformation is continuing as normal,” he said.

“In our current times, we seek to survive, but we also need to seek to grow as we come out of this [coronavirus crisis], which we will.”

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Launceston Chamber of Commerce executive officer Neil Grose. Picture: PATRICK GEE

Hawthorn Football Club Tasmania state manager David Cox spoke in support of the motion as a co-tenant that shares the space with the University and the community.

“We are, as a club, only as good as the facilities that we inhabit,” he said.

“We are uniquely positioned with the provision of this new parking strategy, to create an environment of ease that will encourage more spectators to attend the events and to enable and encourage greater flow of traffic into the community and out of the community, which will have, as you know, economic benefits.”

The development was expected to begin after this year’s show.

SUCCESS OF INNER CITY LIVING PROJECT