Hobart City Councillors have resolved to oppose the progress of the University of Tasmania (Protection of Land) Bill until the Council’s own Mount Nelson Sandy Bay Neighbourhood Plan is finalised. The decision comes amid concerns that the Bill, which proposes rezoning the upper campus to ‘inner residential’, lacks necessary strategic planning and impact assessments for the university and surrounding suburbs.
Media release – Save UTAS, 16 December 2025
GOVERNMENT’S PLAN TO REZONE UTAS UPPER CAMPUS STRIKES TROUBLE AT THE HOBART CITY COUNCIL
At its meeting on 15 December 2025 Hobart City Councillors resolved to oppose the passage of the University of Tasmania (Protection of Land) Bill until the Council’s Mount Nelson Sandy Bay Neighbourhood Plan is completed.
The Bill rezones vital UTAS science facilities and student accommodation so that ‘education’ is no longer a permitted use. The UTAS upper campus would be rezoned to ‘inner residential’, a zoning which critics claim is best suited to inner city land with established services and good infrastructure.
The Bill passed the House of Assembly last month and will be considered by the Legislative Council next year.
The government has undertaken no assessment of the impact of the rezoning on either UTAS or on the surrounding neighbourhoods. There is no strategic planning to support the Bill.
In 2023 the Hobart City Council (HCC) began the process of creating a Mount Nelson Sandy Bay Neighbourhood Plan, but the project had to be paused last year because of the government’s UTAS Bill. The Plan is intended to be a guide to the best long-term development of Mount Nelson and Sandy Bay. Creation of the Plan will combine expert assessments with community input.
SaveUTAS co-chair Mike Foster said,
“It is extraordinary for the government to deliberately undermine good planning processes. Good planning is fundamental to having a city which functions well and where people want to live. What will be the impact of rezoning on university teaching and research?
“How will the rezoning affect the functioning of the surrounding neighbourhoods? The government does not know and it does not care.”
“The government expects the Legislative Council to effectively to take the place of the Tasmanian Planning Commission but without any of the basic tools that good strategic planning requires.”
In the House of Assembly an amendment to remove the rezoning aspect from the Bill was moved by independent Kristie Johnston and supported by the Greens and independents Peter George and Craig Garland. The amendment was defeated by the government and Labor.
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