University of Tasmania takes Planning Commission to court over amendments refusal

UPDATED: The University of Tasmania says there will be no wholesale sell off of its Sandy Bay campus as it considers two options for the future.

The University of Tasmania’s Sandy Bay campus.

THERE will be no wholesale sell off of the University of Tasmania’s Sandy Bay campus as it considers two options for the future, Vice Chancellor Rufus Black says.

Professor Black said the university community was currently considering its future direction in the south ahead of a decision by the University Council, expected to be made in April.

It comes as UTAS takes the Tasmanian Planning Commission to the Supreme Court over a planning refusal, which throws a spanner in the works of its efforts to off-load some of its redundant assets.

Professor Black said there were two models being considered for the future of the southern campus.

“A city-centric model would see our university operate across a closely connected set of precincts in the heart of Hobart, while retaining some accommodation and recreation facilities at Sandy Bay,” he said.

“A distributed model would see the Sandy Bay facilities rebuilt and developed in a redesigned landscape consolidated below Churchill Avenue.

“There is no scenario in which we would abandon what has been our home in Sandy Bay of these past 60 years.”

Prof Black said whichever direction the university took, it would be done in consultation with the community and parts of the campus were likely to be redeveloped for housing, community spaces and recreational facilities.

But in order to do so, the university needs a number of amendments to be made to the Hobart Interim Planning Scheme, which would need to be approved by the Tasmanian Planning Commission.

UTAS put forward an application to the Hobart City Council last year for an adjustment to the zoning of six sites — the commerce building, Hytten Hall, the UniPrint office, buildings at 6 Grace St and 371 Sandy Bay Rd as well as 100ha of land above Churchill Avenue.

The council approved initiating the planning scheme amendment, but the TPC ultimately refused it.

The university appealed against that decision to the Supreme Court.

In court on Thursday, lawyer Anthony Spence said the university launched the appeal on several grounds including that it had been denied natural justice and that the outcome of the decision was unreasonable.

The court heard the TPC held hearings on the planning scheme amendment in May last year and the university’s planner Frazer Read wrote to the Commission later that month asking for the matter to be deferred while the university undertook a review of its infrastructure and worked on its overall masterplan.

The TPC also wanted more information on the university’s strategic planning process, but had already made a decision two days earlier to refuse the application.

Mr Spence said the purpose of the amendment was to allow for subdivision.

He also said one of the sites had already been sold — the UniPrint office — which had been demolished and would be the future site of a Hill St Grocer.

State Government lawyer Paul Turner said there had been ample opportunity for the university to present information around strategic planning to the TPC before its decision.

Justice Stephen Estcourt reserved his decision until next Thursday.