Fragrance group lowers Collins St 256-room hotel plan by 20m in Hobart

UPDATE: OBJECTORS to a high-rise hotel proposal are preparing to leave no stone unturned to stop the project as one of the critics of high-rise developments in the city aims to win a Hobart City Council seat.

An artist’s impression of the previous Fragrance Group hotel proposal for Collins St.

UPDATE: OBJECTORS to Fragrance Group’s four-star, 55m hotel proposal at Collins St are preparing to leave no stone unturned in their campaign to stop the project in its tracks.

Fragrance Group has knocked 20m off its Hobart hotel proposal — from 75m to 55m — in a revised development application, which has been released for public consultation.

SEE THE DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION HERE

It comes as one of the critics of high-rise developments in the city aims to win a seat at Hobart City Council.

The hotel at 2-6 Collins St will feature 256 rooms, conference facilities including a 1000-seat conference hall, meeting spaces, two restaurants, a retail space, a pool and wellness centre, and three levels of above-ground carparking totalling 167 spaces.

It has a construction budget of $55 million and will require the demolition of existing buildings at the location.

A spokesman for Fragrance Group said the revised height would be more congruent with its neighbourhood and was similar to a number of other existing and approved buildings in the vicinity.

“It will be lower and no larger than the neighbouring new Royal Hobart Hospital towers, which is under construction and will rise to about 69m,” he said.

“The call for public comment follows the release of independent polling showing strong public support for new multistorey hotel developments in Hobart and significant support for projects 45m in height and above.”

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POLL BACKS HOBART HOTEL HIGH-RISE, SAYS FRAGRANCE

Earlier this year, public outcry forced the developer to scale back its height for the project from 75m after it was originally slated to be 95m when it was first announced.

Under the Sullivans Cove Planning Scheme 1997 the complying height limit is 15m but the council has discretion to approve heights in excess of this.

The council is also considering a Fragrance development application for a four-star hotel and apartment complex in Elizabeth St, which was readvertised recently after it failed to detail hydraulic works on its development application.

HIGH-RISE HICCUP AS FRAGRANCE LEAVES OUT DETAIL

Brian Corr, from the Hobart not Highrise group. PIC: MATT THOMPSON

Brian Corr said Hobart Not Highrise would wait until the public consultation period ended for the Elizabeth St hotel on August 24 before waging a battle against the Collins St development.

Mr Corr said with the imminent release of the council-commissioned Leigh Woolley report into the city’s building heights, Hobart Not Highrise’s time was finite.

“I’ve decided to stand for council in the October council elections, with an election policy being to keep Hobart a low-rise, human-scale, heritage city,” he said.

The public advertising period for the Collins St development will end on August 31.

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EARLIER: THE public have been invited to have their say on Fragrance Group’s revised Collins St hotel proposal.

A revised development application has been lodged with the Hobart City Council for the 55m 256-room hotel and the public have until the end of the month to comment.

EARLIER: FRAGRANCE Group has knocked 20m off its Collins St hotel proposal in a revised development application lodged today.

The development proposes the demolition of existing buildings at 2-6 Collins St, and the construction of a new 55m 16-floor hotel.

The hotel will feature 256 rooms, conference facilities including a 1000-seat conference hall, meeting spaces, two restaurants, a retail space, a pool and wellness centre, three levels of above ground carparking coming in at 167 spaces.

It has a construction budget of $55 million.

The proposed building has a height of about 55m to the top of its rooftop plant.

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POLL BACKS HIGH-RISE HOTEL, SAYS FRAGRANCE

Earlier this year, public outcry forced the developer to scale back its height from 75m for the project.

Under the Sullivan’s Cove Planning Scheme 1997 the complying height limit is 15m but the council has discretion to approve heights in excess of this.

The developer writes in its application: “The proposed development challenges a number of points in the planning scheme. However, we believe the proposal to be highly contemplated, not only in form, but in the story the architecture tells from its place, and the level of complementary community benefits apparent”.

The public advertising period will end on August 31.

It's the second development out for public consultation from the Singapore-based Fragrance Group.

The developer’s twin tower, hotel and residential project earmarked for Elizabeth St had to be readvertised recently after it failed to detail hydraulic works on its development application.

That meant nearly 800 objectors to the North Hobart development have had to reconfirm their opposition to the project.