December 5, 2015
11:00am
THE state’s most exciting property opportunity at Macquarie Point has been thrown open to would-be developers, but Tasmanians should not expect to see a finished project before 2030.
A 200-vehicle carpark to be set up on the site for the New Year is the only confirmed project on the drawing board.
The Macquarie Point Development Corporation yesterday called for expressions of interest in the old railyards site between the Cenotaph and the Hobart waterfront.
State Growth Minister Matthew Groom said the process of selecting developers should take about 12 months, with construction expected to begin in 2017.
The corporation’s chief executive officer, Liz Jack – who told the Sunday Tasmanianin October last year that “the estimated total capital investment for the project could be as much as $1 billion over a 10-year construction phase” – said in June the project could be 10 to 15 years in the making.
Yesterday Ms Jack said the project should take about 15 years to complete.
“I would love to put an end date to this project and know exactly when it is going to finish. However these things never work that way,” she said.
“There are many factors that influence what happens on the site, and when, but we know that this will be likely a 15-year project.”
Mr Groom said it was intended that the project be developed over several stages.
“Our hope and expectation is that you would see the initial development start in 2017,” he said.
“It is by design, in fact, that you will see it occur over time. This was one of the lessons that was learnt from other like developments.”
Mr Groom said at Docklands in Melbourne there was a concern that there was too much development happening at once.
The expressions of interest process will begin as the corporation puts the final touches on a 200-space car park at the site.
“We are hoping that it will be up and running by the end of the year,” Ms Jack said.
She said it will take some pressure off parking in Sullivans Cove – the Hobart waterfront – for the peak summer season.
“And it starts to get people down here onto the site, even if it is just simply parking their vehicles.”
Ms Jack said the revenue would go straight back into public infrastructure.
“The more we can raise through activities like this, the more we can put into some of the important public infrastructure that we need.”
matthew.smith@news.com.au
Source : The Mercury
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