A $100 million retail redevelopment in Hobart’s central business district will be open in time for Christmas, the site’s developers say. Premier Will Hodgman and State Growth Minister Matthew Groom donned hard hats and high-visibility vests to inspect the complex on Monday. Construction at the Myer site follows a $15million commercial loan from the government to kick-start the project. Next month will mark the eight-year anniversary of a fire that destroyed the department store. Mr Hodgman was buoyed by the level of activity at what was, for almost seven years, a giant crater in the centre of the state’s capital. ‘‘The city suffered as a result of having an undeveloped, ugly hole in its heart,’’ he said. ‘‘To finally see a building rise from the ashes is something that we are very excited about. ‘‘It’s fantastic to see cranes of the scale that we have here at this development.’’ Kalis Group developers said the new Myer store would be opened in late November. The second stage of the development will then start in December, which is due to be completed by October, 2017. Work on a third and final stage of the complex is projected to be finished in mid-2018.
