The Hobart City Council must consider its role in encouraging new accommodation and housing developments in the capital city when they vote on building height limits tonight.
I urge Hobart City Councillors to consider the potential negative impacts of a blanket 45 metre limit, which not only goes against the expert report Council themselves commissioned, but is also below the height of a number of existing buildings.
Any decisions made by the Hobart City Council which prevent accommodation or housing developments proceeding have flow on effects for the availability of housing across southern Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Government has taken action to stimulate the building of new houses all around the state, and as a result building approvals are the strongest in the nation. However, the demand for new housing remains strong, and we can’t afford for the local government of our capital city to put artificial restrictions in place that prevents new housing and accommodation projects going ahead.
We all want to protect what is special about Hobart, but that doesn’t need to and shouldn’t be at the expense of sensible development, the building of new housing, and the economy.