Developer Ali Sultan lifts veil on his $100 million ‘jewel’

HOBART developer Ali Sultan has revealed the vision for his long-awaited Salamanca development which will be his “jewel in the crown” project.

Services Apartments , Montpelier Project graphic

HOBART developer Ali Sultan has revealed the vision for his long-awaited Salamanca development which will be his “jewel in the crown” project.

The Mercury revealed in June that the carpark kingpin was ready to get moving on the $100 million multi-use development.

The Montpellier Retreat site as it is now.

The Montpelier Retreat development will be made up of three distinct components, Mr Sultan said.

The section facing Salamanca Place will feature a ground-floor cafe and about 30 serviced apartments.

The section on Montpelier Retreat will contain offices and retail space.

Sitting back from this will be the Knopwood Apartments and a wellness centre offering a pool, gym, massage, hydrotherapy and aromatherapy.

Sultan Holdings bought the former Hobart City Council-owned vacant site on the corner of Montpelier Retreat and Kirksway Place at auction for $3.6 million in October, 2005.

A development application was submitted in July, 2008, and received approval, but an internal oversight meant the permit lapsed in 2011.

Mr Sultan said the design had changed dramatically since then.

“What we’ve got now, we strongly believe fits the area and will work with everyone,” he said.

“If you look at the one that was originally approved and then at this one, there is no comparison. Salamanca des­erves the best.”

Ali Sultan with a scale model of the development.

A 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a- week carpark with 360 public spaces will be located beneath the apartments and will not be visible from the street.

Sultan Holdings operations manager Ian Creese said the company hoped to get council building approval to excav­ate the car parking section before Christmas.

“We gave a commitment to have more than 150 extra car parks in Montpelier, which everybody knows we need desperately, and whether that means the council look at removing the parking off the Salamanca Place strip, we don’t know,” Mr Creese said.

Should approval be granted, Mr Creese said work would begin in late March, after the peak tourist period.

Archaeological works will investigate what historical remnants may still be in place.

Mr Sultan said he hoped to have the new car park open by mid-2017, with the rest of the development to follow.

The large-scale development is one of many approved or proposed that will transform of the Hobart CBD and waterfront.

Work continues on the $100 million Myer redevelopment, the $100 million Parliament Square project, the $35 million luxury hotel at the old Macquarie Wharf shed No. 1 and finishing touches are being put on the new $12 million Brooke St Pier.

The $65 million University of Tasmania Melville St student accommodation complex was given the green light by the HCC last month. A development application has been submitted by a Singaporean company for $35 million hotel in Macquarie St.