Hobart building heights debate deferred until New Year.

Hobart aldermen rejected a 45-metre cap on building heights on Monday night, instead voting to defer a decision on the topic until the New Year.

A report will be prepared for council in early 2019, investigating buildings at 45 metres, 60 metres and unrestricted heights, paying attention to social, economic and aesthetic considerations.

Mr Hodgman recommended aldermen pay attention to planning advice, saying “politicians – whether they be state, local or federal – should always look to expert advice on matters like this”.

He was disappointed council had commissioned expert advice, but then seemingly dismissed it: “Hobart City Council has just ignored that so they need to go back to the drawing board and have another look”.

“To arbitrarily cap building heights will force developers to consider what they might do within that threshold and you could end up with a very homogeneous landscape,” he said.

If Hobart’s building heights had been capped at 45 metres, buildings like the Royal Hobart Hospital extension, University if Tasmania student accommodation and the MACq 01 Hotel would not be approved.

“It’s crazy to think that we were told we’d need to extend the height of the Royal Hobart Hospital to meet increased demand into the future, but that we’d not be able to do that because of a unilateral planning decision made by council,” Mr Hodgman said.

“I hope [the state’s councils] don’t take the lead from the Hobart City Council because it sends the wrong message on so many fronts, not just for development but for sustainable development an urban amenity and, in my view, flies in the face of good planning.”

Despite suggesting City of Hobart council reassess its position on building heights, Mr Hodgman said such decisions fell within the local government remit.

“Principally, local governments are the planning authorities,” he said.

“To move the goalposts, or unilaterally change that, could in itself could have negative consequences, but I am very disturbed at the notion that Hobart City council might take advice from planning experts on heights and then ignore that advice.”

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