Fragrance Group has lodged a Development Application (DA) with the Hobart City Council for a four-star hotel and apartment complex in Elizabeth Street. The application has also been referred to the Environment Protection Agency due to some required site excavation.

The development will provide much-needed housing in central Hobart and will help address the current shortfall in visitor accommodation in Hobart. In turn, this will foster the positive growth of Tasmania’s burgeoning tourism industry. With an estimated construction cost of more than AUD$80million, the proposed development will also provide employment and new jobs for Tasmanians and an increase in economic activity in the State, both during construction and when in operation.

The proposed development is set back significantly from the road frontage and will not be imposing when viewed at street level. Traffic also will enter from the rear minimising any impact on Elizabeth Street.

Importantly, the design retains the heritage ‘Kelso terrace’ retail frontage and this has received support from the Tasmanian Heritage Council. The building has been designed to respect the local heritage and community sentiment, while ensuring its commercial viability and sustainability. It represents an extremely good outcome for a building that could have been lost to decay and now has the potential to become a valuable asset for Hobart and the community. In fact, the development will respect and may even enhance the appreciation of the adjoining public park.

At the same time, in response to public feedback, Fragrance has also made amendments to significantly reduce the height of its proposed hotel and convention centre development in Collins Street. This project is still going through the approval process and will be advertised to the public for comments subsequently. More information regarding the Collins Street development will be provided in due course.

Both proposed buildings will be no taller than a number of existing and approved buildings in Hobart.

The Fragrance Group is strongly committed to Tasmania and has already successfully developed the 296 room IBIS Styles hotel in Macquarie Street. It has additional property interests in Hobart and Launceston, with plans to be announced for those sites over time.

The Fragrance projects will bring significant new investment to Tasmania and are not reliant on any government grants or subsidies, taxation or rates relief, or any other form of assistance. As the investment funds are coming from outside Australia, the projects will not impact on funding for other development activity in Tasmania.

About Fragrance Group
Fragrance Group headed by Mr James Koh (Koh Wee Meng) is an established developer in Singapore, to date having successfully completed more than 100 developments comprising hotel, residential and commercial / industrial buildings. The Group has been active in Australia since 2014 and has major developments in Melbourne and Perth, as well as Hobart.
Fragrance Group