Economy
Save 10 Murray win
AN ambitious plan to sell off the city block behind Hobart’s Parliament House for a major development is in chaos.
A shock decision this week by the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal has ruled property developer Citta Group cannot proceed with its multi-million dollar Parliament Square project.
The judgment throws into jeopardy the sale of the State Government-owned prime city block to Citta for $7 million, and the rejuvenation of the site behind Parliament House into a “people’s place” complete with large TV screens, cafes, lawns and provision for outdoor concerts.
Last week Treasurer Michael Aird said he was confident the sale would be finalised early this month, provided Citta obtained all the necessary planning approvals as expected.
The dramatic turnaround follows a decision by Citta two weeks ago to submit radically changed project plans and designs for Parliament Square to the tribunal for final approval after public consultation had closed.
Changes included adding two extra storeys to the luxury office block set to house top bureaucrats and government ministers behind Parliament House.
Tribunal chairman Simon Cooper ruled this week the submitted changes were so “substantial” and “fundamentally different” from the project the Tasmanian public had been allowed to comment on last year that it could not proceed.
…
The tribunal ruling was greeted with delight by the group dedicated to saving 10 Murray St.
Spokeswoman Briony Kidd said the group had appealed the project’s go-ahead because it wanted 10 Murray St preserved.
But she said when Citta suddenly presented the tribunal with last-minute changes to its overall project plans, her organisation was left with no choice but to appeal the entire 11th-hour new project submission.
“It’s just so different — and fortunately the tribunal agreed with us, too,” Ms Kidd said last night.
“It’s not a victory — because we haven’t saved 10 Murray Street yet.”