Derwent Entertainment Centre redevelopment could include student digs
A proposed world-class lifestyle precinct in Glenorchy could also include student accommodation, council documents reveal.
The Glenorchy City Council planning authority will tomorrow consider a planning scheme amendment which would help pave the way for the development of Wilkinsons Point near the Derwent Entertainment Centre.
Last month, National Basketball League owner Larry Kestelman unveiled his masterplan for Wilkinsons Point, with up to $200 million to be invested in the area.
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The plan for the waterside property includes an 11-storey hotel, restaurants, multi-purpose indoor sports facilities, a high-performance centre and retail shops.
The project hinges on support from the State Government to refurbish the Derwent Entertainment Centre.
Kestelman, owner and executive chairman of the NBL, is in exclusive negotiations with the council over the sale of the DEC and surrounding land.
The council will consider an amendment to the Glenorchy Interim Planning Scheme, including adding a specific area plan for Wilkinsons Point and rezoning the site from “community purpose” to “recreation”.
The land around the Derwent Entertainment Centre was sold off.
Council documents identify issues that will need clarifying or further information before the amendment can be finalised, including the issue of adding a residential component for the purpose of student accommodation.
“It is noted that based on discussions with the applicant that this use was a relatively late inclusion and discussions with the University of Tasmania had not been fully explored prior to the submission of the request,” the council report states.
The university did not wish to comment, but in a media release in April, UTAS spokesman Jason Purdie says it is likely the university would look further afield from central Hobart for future student accommodation developments.
“With increased density in the city and improvements in public transport, it is likely the next accommodation hubs will be elsewhere in greater Hobart. We look forward to working with municipalities such as Glenorchy to realise that future,” he says.
If the planning scheme amendment is ticked off by council tomorrow and additional information is given by the proponents, the draft changes would then be publicly advertised for comment.
The LK Group and the National Basketball League were contacted for comment.
This article from The Mercury originally appeared as “NBL owner Larry Kestelman’s Wilkinsons Point masterplan adds student accommodation to the mix”.
