Residents fire up against $50m Tasmanian hotel

Ratepayers have asked the Clarence City Council to revoke its preferred development deal with the company planning to build a hotel on Rosny Hill.

The request was among four motions passed last night when hundreds of Eastern Shore residents packed the Rosny Park Bowls Club to have their say on the $50 million Rosny Hill hotel development.

More than 300 people listened to opening statements from meeting convener Peter Edwards, from the Rosny Hill Friends Network, and Clarence City Council Mayor Doug Chipman.

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Edwards and the Rosny Hill Friends Network representatives received thunderous applause from the attendees, while Ald Chipman and council representatives were met with less enthusiasm.

The meeting was called after a petition with more than 1000 signatures against the proposal was tabled by Alderman Richard James to Clarence City Council.

Edwards said after the meeting that there were “overwhelming” objections to the development from the public.

“The community really got its point severely home to the Clarence Council tonight,” Edwards says.

“We were not happy with the responses we got, and a lot of people were disillusioned, there were a few angry people there, they were respectful, but all in all they did not get the answers they wanted from council.”

Michael Figg asks a question at the public meeting at the Rosny Park Bowls Club. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE.

Four motions, including that the Clarence City Council revoke its preferred development agreement with Hunter Developments, were passed at last night’s meeting.

The other motions:

COUNCIL advises the general manager to not grant landowner consent to Hunter Developments and write to the State Government advising it not to grant owner consent.

COUNCIL initiates a further tender process for potential development on Rosny Hill of a scale and size appropriate to the site and its recreation, conservation and community values.

COUNCIL sets up an appropriately constituted community consultation unit within the council structure, resourced and supported so as to return confidence and transparency to relations between the council and the community.

Ald Chipman says the motions will be tabled at the next council meeting.

“I think it was a healthy process to go through,” Ald Chipman says.

Clarence Mayor Doug Chipman at the meeting. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE.

Four years ago, the council called for expressions of interest for Rosny Hill with Hunter Developments awarded preferred developer status to build a hotel.

Hunter Developments director and architect Professor Robert Morris-Nunn has previously said the five-star hotel proposal had been revised but not much had changed since the original concept.

The plan features 82 rooms within a two-storey building that wraps around the hill plus 18 premium guest pods. There will be two restaurants, seating up to 200 people each, a function centre for 200 delegates, a gym and private bar with views of Mt Wellington.

Hunter Developments is also behind the controversial development of a $50 million hotel and hospitality training school at Kangaroo Bay with multibillion-dollar Chinese petrochemical company Shandong Chambroad, which was approved by the council in January last year.

Edwards says residents have concerns surrounding increased traffic on narrow suburban streets, a lack of council consultation and the scale of the project.

This article from the The Mercury originally appeared as “Bid to start over on Rosny Hill hotel development”.