Five-star hotel at heritage-listed site clears council hurdle again

The original proposal to build a multi-storey luxury hotel at the Alfred Harrap and Sons warehouse on Cimitiere Street and extend the existing Grand Hotel on Tamar Street was approved by City of Launceston councillors in 2020.

The approval granted to Singaporean company Global Premium Hotels was appealed by residents, but ultimately upheld by the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT).

Revised plans for the multi-storey component, which proposed reducing the number of rooms and overall size of the building, were then put before the council on November 16.

Deputy mayor Hugh McKenzie said - contrary to the opinion of some community members - a luxury hotel was better-suited to the site rather than residential apartments.

"Whether we need more housing with versus more hotels, that's not necessarily a relevant issue in regards to the planning scheme," Cr McKenzie said.

"We don't have a five-star hotel in Launceston at the moment.

"This is determined to be a five-star hotel, which will attract a tourism group of people who wouldn't normally come to Launceston."

Cr McKenzie said the new application was broadly the same as the previous, compliant one and as such he had no trouble approving it.

Proponents have shaved several metres off the building, which is now set to stand at 35 metres tall.

This slightly shorter than the Silo Hotel, which measures 39 metres at its highest point, and about 7 metres taller than the nearby St Luke's Health building currently under construction.

Some residents still objected to the building due to its height and potential to overshadow other Cimitiere Street buildings, like the Verge Hotel.

Council planning officers said the TASCAT decision implied the revised design would also be appropriate.

Councillor Susie Cai said although the building remained taller than recommended by a previous council study, it was good to see a compromise be reached.

"I would like to thank the developer - well, I'm going to believe that they did this - for recognising the community's concerns and reaching a compromise," she said.

"It is still quite high ... but I guess this compromise is actually a good compromise for for the community of Launceston."