Shock of the New: Replacing history with a Concrete Block. Green Wall call

The building of a facility to house hundreds of new workers is a tremendous thing for the City. The building that has eventuated is not. I am shocked at what has been allowed to be built.

This happens at a time when planning schemes and planning laws are under much discussion as to how to speed up developments and make them less cumbersome.

The question would seem to be how do we speed up those developments that fit our vision of the city and how do we prevent buildings that damage the look and feel of the city.

We should do everything to facilitate projects that fit a set of values that improve the architectural quality and heritage feel of the city.

Wonderful projects that rejuvenate and bring to life old buildings – like the old Mercury building or 100 Elizabeth St – should be supported and every effort made to remove encumbrances.

The Council must strongly articulate to developers what we see for the future of the city … and when projects come forward that don’t fit those values, be strong enough to defend those values.

I have argued for some time that the Council needs to more strongly define what it wants. An example would be the proliferation around the CBD of caryards.

I would argue that rather than caryards we should be developing residential capacity to meet our goal of bringing 10,000 people to live around the city to enliven it.

I have tried to have these caryard areas rezoned residential, so when the existing use expires we have made a statement of how we want the City to evolve.

The view up Bathurst Street has been blighted by the removal of a piece of Hobart’s history with a concrete block.

We cannot afford many more of these developments before the quality architecture and heritage buildings are overwhelmed and no longer define the city.

The State Government wants to assist development by removing a swathe of buildings off the Heritage register – but does that set up a good system for developers and planners to work with?

We need to have a discussion that involves planners, architects, builders and heritage lovers on how we encourage good development and use of heritage buildings with the minimum of interference by bureaucracy; but also deliver a clear strong message of what we don’t want, or will accept.

The enlivenment and better use of our Heritage stock is its best protection and we should encourage, facilitate and celebrate good development. If we couple this with well spelt-out values and rules that are simple and clear, then we all win.

• Philip Cocker: Call on developer for green wall

Alderman Philip Cocker has called on developer Ali Sultan to consider a green wall or wall garden for the west wall of his new Vodaphone building.

The demolition of an old pub was disappointing but to replace it with a concrete box that dominates Bathurst street is very unfortunate and so I am calling on the developer to lessen the effects of the this building.

There are hundreds of examples of green building walls around the world and the developer could take a very ugly wall and turn it in to a positive for the city.

“ Let’s face it this building is pretty ugly and I think those who supported the demolition of the old pub to build this had some inkling of how bad it would be when they offered planning advice for some sort of wall cladding”.

If a green wall can’t be done then I strongly urge the developers to consider a cladding that lessens the impact of this building on the city and surrounding buildings.