Salamanca hotel expansion dispute widens
The owner of Hadley’s Orient Hotel has ramped up his fight against a major hotel expansion planned for Salamanca, adding a new point of contention to his list of concerns.
The owner of Hadley’s Orient Hotel has ramped up his fight against a major hotel expansion planned for Salamanca, adding a new point of contention to his list of concerns.
Donald Neil, also a well-known Hobart philanthropist, is challenging Hobart City Council and the Behrakis Group, a family company that owns the Moss Hotel.
The Behrakis Group plans to add 69 rooms to its current 20-room hotel and exceed Hobart’s building height limit of 12 metres by building up to 17 metres.
Neil, who says the expansion will detrimentally impact the historic Sullivans Cove district, recently added a new ground of appeal to his fight – arguing plans for on-site parking will influence the building’s design in a way that harms the character of Sullivans Cove and will lead to inappropriate building height.
The Behrakis Group opposed Neil’s application, arguing he has already had opportunity to raise this objection.
It also argued allowing the additional ground would cause prejudice, requiring new expert evidence, increasing cost and delay.
Neil said he only became aware of the issue last month after advice from a planning expert and acted promptly once aware.
The Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has allowed Neil to add his new ground of appeal, noting the case was at a relatively early stage with a hearing date not yet set, and there would be no detriment to the other parties.
Jonathan Jackson, 23rd April 2026
