Gorge Hotel height issues overruled, council decision next

Last week, the Tasmanian Planning Commission approved a draft Specific Area Plan amendment that would loosen the current height restriction at the corner of Paterson street and Margaret street, where the hotel is planned.

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The Specific Area Plan was already approved by the City of Launceston council in September last year and followed the Resource Management & Planning Appeal Tribunal rejecting a previous approval by the council on the grounds that the planned hotel exceeded acceptable height limits for the surrounding area. At 39 metres, the proposed hotel would be as tall as Launceston's Silo Hotel and Telstra building.

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Following that decision, Gorge Hotel developers JAC Group put together the Specific Area Plan and ultimately brought the issue to the TPC, which could overturn the RMPAT decision if the development was deemed beneficial to the wider area.

The TPC decision followed three hearings in Launceston late last year, where the commission heard representations from 13 community members, as well as appearances from the developers and the various planning authorities involved.

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In their decision, the TPC concluded that the evidence provided indicated that the development would "support the economic and tourism objectives for the City of Launceston and the region, without compromising the built heritage of the city".

With the Specific Area Plan approved, JAC Group now intends to resubmit the development application for the project sometime before June 30. Once submitted, the amended plans will once again come before the council and be opened up for public consideration. If fully approved, the hotel is expected to take two years to build.

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