Parliament Square | |
---|---|
Type | Public space |
Location | Hobart, Australia |
Coordinates | 42°53′06″S147°19′49″E / 42.885005°S 147.330181°E Coordinates: 42°53′06″S147°19′49″E / 42.885005°S 147.330181°E |
Area | 7,322 m2 (78,810 sq ft) |
Operated by | Citta Property Group |
Status | Under Construction |
Parliament Square is a historic city block, located directly behind the Tasmanian Parliament House in Hobart, Tasmania. It is presently under redevelopment, and upon completion will include Marriot International hotel, seven retail spaces, state government office building [1] [2] and plaza. [3]
The block is bound by Davey Street to the north, Murray Street to the east, Salamanca Place to the west and Parliament House to the south. The block has an approximate area of 7,322 m2.
Parliament Square consists primarily of former government buildings, such as the former St Mary's hospital, the Red Brick Building, the Government Printing Office, Parliamentary annexes, two low-rise public service office buildings (including 10 Murray Street), and the former PABX building, containing the Tasmanian government phone switchboards. Over time, the state government used less of these buildings and by 2018, they were mostly unoccupied.
In April 2009 the Tasmanian Government shortlisted three proposals for the redevelopment of the area. [4]
The Government announced Citta Property Group as the preferred company to undertake the project. [5] Citta planned to give the area a Federation Square feel with the demolition of the State Offices at 10 Murray Street and the opening up of the Murray Street side. The plan included upgrading and maintaining the older Davey Street facing buildings, as well as building a new seven-storey building facing Salamanca Place. [5] There were also plans for shops, cafes and an amphitheatre with a large screen for public events.
Of the three shortlisted proposals, one design would have retained and retrofitted the modernist building at 10 Murray Street, whilst the two other plans required demolition of the building. [5]
The redevelopment has been the topic of several controversies. From the announcement of the project, heritage concerns were raised by a number of groups, including the Art Deco and Modernism Society of Australia [6] and Save 10 Murray, who wished to conserve 10 Murray St, a modernist/brutalist office building, and the art deco Government Printing Office. The Resource and Planning Tribunal ruled that construction must cease in 2010 after a heritage appeal by the group. [7] This was reversed in December 2010, and a Supreme Court appeal was submitted [8] In 2012, the state government attempted to pass a bill that would extraordinarily exempt the project from Tasmania's planning, heritage and appeal laws. The Planning Institute of Tasmania and Tasmanian Greens called for the bill to be immediately dismissed. [9] Further plans to demolish the art deco former Printing Office were overturned in 2012 by the Supreme Court, leading to its integration into hotel projects. [10]
Construction began in 2013, but the site was formally transferred from the Tasmanian state government to CITTA for the price of $8.1 million in 2014. [11] 10 Murray Street was demolished in 2018. [12]
Fire broke out during construction in 2014. [13] In 2016, a case was filed with Equal Opportunity Tasmania about the lack of a disability accessible lift on the north-east entrance to the site. It was dismissed on technically in 2019. [14] From 2013 to 2016, a suit alleging that construction workers on the project had been exposed to asbestos was undergoing. Prosecution was withdrawn in 2016. [15] The revelation that further asbestos rubble had been distributed to two schools for use in construction, led to the call for further regulation and temporary pause on construction work at Glenorchy Primary School. [16]
Planning officers raised concerns about the addition of another story to government office buildings, but the changes were approved by Alderman in 2015. At the time, the hotel was expected to be complete in 2018. [17] Last minute alterations to add an additional floor to the Marriot hotel were approved by Hobart City Council against the advice of planning officers in 2019. [18] In 2019, parts fell from a crane during construction and narrowly missed a construction worker. [19]
Hobart is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smallest if territories are taken into account, before Darwin, Northern Territory. Hobart is located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, making it the most southern of Australia's capital cities. Its skyline is dominated by the 1,271-metre (4,170 ft) kunanyi/Mount Wellington, and its harbour forms the second-deepest natural port in the world, with much of the city's waterfront consisting of reclaimed land. The metropolitan area is often referred to as Greater Hobart, to differentiate it from the City of Hobart, one of the five local government areas that cover the city. It has a mild maritime climate.
The history of Tasmania begins at the end of the most recent ice age when it is believed that the island was joined to the Australian mainland. Little is known of the human history of the island until the British colonisation in the 19th century.
The Midland Highway is one of Tasmania's major inter-city highways, running for 176 kilometres (109 mi) between Hobart and Launceston. It is part of the AusLink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities. It represents a major north–south transportation corridor in Tasmania and has the route 1 designation as part of the National Highway. The highway consists of various traffic lane arrangements, the most common being two lanes – one in each direction, with overtaking options and at-grade intersections. At both the Launceston and Hobart sections of the highway there are small portions of grade-separated dual carriageway.
Hobart Airport is an International airport located in Cambridge, 17 km (11 mi) north-east of Hobart. It is the major and fastest growing passenger airport in Tasmania.
The Wrest Point Hotel Casino is a casino in Tasmania. It was Australia's first legal casino, opening in the suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart, on 10 February 1973.
Parliament House, Hobart, located on Salamanca Place in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, is the meeting place of the Parliament of Tasmania. The building was originally designed as a customs house but changed use in 1841 when Tasmania achieved self-government. The building served both purposes from 1841 to 1904, when the customs offices were relocated.
Larissa Tahireh "Lara" Giddings is a former Australian politician who was the 44th Premier of Tasmania from 24 January 2011 until 31 March 2014, the first woman to hold the position. Born in Goroka, Papua New Guinea, she was a Labor Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Franklin from 2002 to 2018, and was the party's leader during her period as premier, replaced by Bryan Green after her government's defeat at the 2014 state election. Giddings came from the Labor Left faction. As of 2022, she remains the most recent premier of Tasmania from the Labor Party.
John Lee Archer was the Civil Engineer and Colonial Architect in Van Diemen's Land, serving from 1827 to 1838. During his tenure, Archer was responsible for all Tasmanian government buildings including those for penal and military purposes.
FitzGerald's Department Stores (FitzGerald's) was Tasmania's largest chain of department stores. The chain was rebranded and relaunched as Harris Scarfe in 1995, and the renamed stores continue to trade today.
Hobart City Centre is a suburb surrounded by metropolitan Hobart, which comprises the original settlement, the central business district, and other built-up areas. It is the oldest part of Hobart and includes many of the city's important institutions and landmarks, such as Parliament, the Supreme Court, Franklin Square, the Elizabeth Street Mall, the Royal Hobart Hospital, the Theatre Royal, Odeon Theatre, State Library, the NAB Building, the Museum, and the Cenotaph. The city centre is located in the local government areas of the City of Hobart.
10 Murray Street was the address of the State Offices building in Hobart, Australia, and the name by which the building is frequently known. It was a Brutalist office building located behind Parliament House and close to Salamanca Place. The building was fully occupied by the State Government of Tasmania and is located next to Parliament House. They were directly linked via a skyway. 10 Murray Street was demolished in 2018 as part of the Parliament Square redevelopment.
The Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart is a twelve-storey hotel located on the waterfront of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Old Government House was the former official residence and home of the Governor of Tasmania from 1807 to 1858, when it was demolished following completion of the modern Government House, Hobart on the Queens Domain. It was located approximately where Hobart Town Hall and Franklin Square stand now. It was built sometime between 1805 and 1810 with dates varying according to sources and at least during 1831 housed the Tasmanian Parliament as well as being the residence of the Governor and meeting place of the Tasmanian Society, a precursor to the Royal Society of Tasmania. The Tasmanian Parliament moved to the modern Parliament House, Hobart in 1841, and following the construction of the modern Government House the old house was demolished. It had earlier been reserved for the location of the new Town hall and a Franklin monument, which were both later built there and continue to stand to this day.
General Post Office is a landmark building located on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Macquarie Street in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It stands next to the former Mercury Building and has served as the headquarters of the Tasmanian Postal system since its construction in 1905, though mail processing has now been moved to Glenorchy.
Mount Wellington is a dominant feature on the skyline above Hobart, in Tasmania, Australia.
Briony Kidd is an Australian director based in Hobart, Tasmania. She has a Bachelor of Film and TV from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne.
Anna Reynolds is an Australian politician and the current Lord Mayor of Hobart, Tasmania.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Tasmania is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
The State Cinema is a historic cinema venue located in North Hobart, Tasmania. It was acquired by the US-owned Reading Cinemas chain in November 2019.
The Odeon Theatre is a historic live entertainment venue and former cinema in the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.