More than 100 community consultations about Launceston’s building heights regulations will be considered at the council’s meeting on Thursday.
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It is recommended the council endorse community consultation findings and the draft Paul Davies report.
The City of Launceston council commissioned heritage architect Paul Davies to do the Launceston CBD Building Height and Massing Study earlier this year.
Tasmania doesn’t have an official building heights laws, which doesn’t provide guidance to developers or the councils, the report said.
The report suggested the CBD be broken into four different parts.
Precinct A suggests a 15-30 metre limit, while Precincts B, C and D having a 12-24 metre limit.
A number of themes repeatedly appeared during the community consultation. They were:
- The need to retain Launceston's character
- The desire for design excellence in building proposals
- The value of heritage buildings in Launceston
- The desire for absolute building height certainty
- The concern about development that is out of character with existing context.
A series of community consultations were held, with the several forums well-attended, the council’s agenda said.
Fourteen individual responses were received by email during the consultation period and 116 surveys were returned.
About 60 per cent of respondents did not support taller buildings in Launceston, 26 per cent said it depended and 15 per cent said no.
About 70 per cent of respondents did not think developments should be allowed to be higher in special circumstances allowed by a planning scheme amendment.
Almost 80 per cent said there should be an absolute height limit in the city.
The majority of people who responded to the survey were aged between 46 and 55 years.
The council agenda said feedback about the Paul Davies report was positive.
“A common concern was that the report focused on height opposed to a broader discussion on design excellence,” the agenda said.
If the recommendation is approved, developing a special area plan is the next step.
The meeting will start at 1pm at the Town Hall.
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