The Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal met interested parties at the Burnie Council Chambers last week for a hearing on the proposed demolition.

It is expected to announce its decision by Friday.

The Burnie City Council will discuss its separate draft amendment, which would allow the site to be rezoned for the development of the hardware store, during its meeting on Tuesday.

If it is endorsed, it will be given to the Tasmanian Planning Commission.

Bunnings chief operating officer Peter Davis said that if the commission approved the application and the tribunal approved the demolition, the proposed $9.45 million development would create about 90 permanent jobs for local residents and another 120 jobs during construction.

``While we are still waiting for official confirmation of the tribunal's decision regarding demolition of the old paper mill buildings, we view this as another positive step towards establishing a Bunnings Warehouse in Burnie,'' he said.

``And we look forward to further progressing our development when the necessary approvals are in place.''

Not everyone is happy with the Bunnings proposal.

Lionel Morrell, of the Heritage Protection Society, said the buildings were an icon in Burnie.

``We're not talking about the appearance of them or the architecture of them. In the second phase of development in Burnie, it was the pulp mill company that ran the town - it ran the social club, the football club,'' he said.

``This building is an industrial cathedral. Internationally, these buildings are turned into museums and cultural places. We have examples in Germany where these are important industrial museums.''