Young designers survey colleagues to gauge opinions on building height restrictions

A RECENT online survey has revealed what people think should be the maximum building height limit in Hobart.

BUILDING heights are a hot topic in Hobart and the state’s young architects have set out to find out just what their members think.

In a recent online survey conducted by Emerging Architects Tasmania, almost three quarters of respondents wanted to see a building height limit in Hobart of no more than 75 metres — the height of the city’s current tallest building, Wrest Point casino.

As the debate rages about building heights and streetscape values in the capital, EAT also completed a temporary mural in Elizabeth St depicting some of Hobart’s best-known landmarks, including Wrest Point and the Royal Hobart Hospital, alongside a proposed 210-metre hotel.

The group of up-and-coming architects also conducted an anonymous survey asking participants what they think Hobart’s maximum height limit should be, or if there should be one at all.

More than 5100 people have completed the survey to date, with 35.79 per cent voting for a 45-metre height limit.

Overall, a total of 72.63 per cent voted for a height limit of 75m, 60m, 45m or 30m.

Just over 27 per cent said there should be no height limit.

Under the Hobart Interim Planning Scheme, the discretionary height limit is 45m, and 18m is the discretionary maximum under the Sullivans Cove Planning Scheme for the waterfront precinct.

EAT president Jason Licht said the response to the survey had exceeded expectations.

“The whole topic is much more complex than height, but the aim was to get the public thinking so we could have a more informed debate moving forward,” he said.

Hobart Not Highrise president Brian Corr said the group believed the results were a good reflection of public feeling on high-rise buildings in the city.

“Clearly the great majority do not want skyscrapers,” he said.

In July, exclusive Mercury polling conducted by ReachTEL showed 62.4 per cent of Tasmanians did not support skyscrapers in central Hobart, with 20.1 per cent in favour of skyscrapers and 17.5 undecided.

That poll surveyed 2817 Tasmanians.

The surveys come off the back of Singaporean developer the Fragrance Group’s proposals for high-rise hotel complexes — including applications for a 210m-high hotel in Davey St and a 94m-high hotel in Collins St — which have divided the community and tested council planning laws.

The applications are yet to come before the Hobart City Council for consideration.