Hyatt Hotel to rise on former Westpac site in Hobart
Construction work of a $40 million Hyatt hotel in Elizabeth St Hobart will start from mid-December.
Hyatt had announced in January this year that it will operate the new hotel which will be located in what was once a Westpac Bank building.
The 63 metre high hotel will have a five star ranking with a restaurant, bar and function rooms. It is being designed by Neal Mackintosh of JAWS Architects.
As a result of the construction work, operations in the Hobart bus mall will need to be altered for almost two years.
The development work is being done by Hutchinson Builders and Singapore-based developer Elizabeth Tasmania Pty Ltd gained council approval by removing 10 metres in height from the original plan.
Hutchinson Builders has asked Hobart City Council to relocate Eastern Shore bus stops in the westbound lane of the mall for about 20 months from mid-December while the building is being put up.
Options for relocating the Eastern Shore bus stops will be investigated in a report commissioned by the council and the Department of State Growth.
This will see some stops shifted into Macquarie St outside the former Mercury building while other stops will be moved adjacent to Franklin Square.
A State Growth spokeswoman told the Hobart Mercury that the department was working closely with the council and Metro Tasmania to “minimise the impacts on passenger transport services” and a relocation plan had been devised.
“Subject to council approval, that plan would be implemented in line with the developer’s construction time frame,” the spokeswoman said.
A council report has recommended conditional approval be given so the final decision now rests with the council.
The report says the council will have to pay costs with the funds taken from its budget for the planning of the bus mall upgrade project now on hold.
The request will be considered by the council’s infrastructure committee meeting next Wednesday before the matter goes to the full council.
by Leon Gettler, September 20th 2017
