Why is Council Pushing a $90 Million Carpark Development NOW?

 

DEVELOPMENT?

An artist's impression of the Launceston Creative Precinct.

Site still not secured for $90m Creative Precinct, more than 10 months after it was announced 

Isobel Cootes

The old Birchall car park has not been purchased more than 10 months after the $90 million Launceston Creative Precinct was announced for the site, with a legal battle still ongoing to secure it. .................................. A caveat [Why & what for?] was placed on the property in February due to a legal battle underway between the two companies, with developer Creative Holdings yet to strike a deal with Car Parks Super, the owner of the old Birchalls car park at 41-43 Paterson Street. [Is the City of Launceston involved? If so how?].................................. The City of Launceston council is attached [How and why?] to the creative precinct via its proposal to relocate the St John Street bus interchange, and to redevelop the Birchalls building, which it purchased last year for $8.8 million. [Why was it purchase and for what purpose?] .................................. The council could compulsory acquire the site but mayor Albert van Zetten did not answer if it would or had plans to. [When will he or Council tell ratepayers what and why here?].................................. "Acquisition of the property is ongoing through a legal process. The council is currently awaiting the outcome of this process," he said. [What process and who are the parties involved] .................................. "The council has legal agreements with this company [Which company?] to facilitate the construction of a bus interchange on the site, post-acquisition." [What is holding this up? Is it being held up?]  .................................. The bus interchange must be completed by the end of 2022 as a condition of the council receiving a $10 million drought grant under the Building Better Regions Fund. [Is this a realistic expectation?] The council also received a $6 million no interest loan from the state government for the project. .................................. The state government could also compulsory acquire the site but State Growth Minister Michael Ferguson did not answer if it would intervene. [Why would the State Govt get involved?] .................................. "The government is currently in caretaker mode and understands the property remains subject to a contract for sale between Car Parks Super and Creative Property Holdings. The state is not a party to this contract," he said. [When was any of this deliberated upon in open council? Are the 'workshops' council holds behind closed doors either legal or ethical?] .................................. "Through the Office of the Coordinator-General we have continued to engage with the Launceston city council, Creative Property Holdings and their financiers in relation to the Creative Precinct proposal, including a planned bus terminal. "We remain enthusiastic of the potential of the proposal to transform Launceston and Northern Tasmania." [Why is this land actually needed for a bus interchange given the range of design and planning alternatives available?]

FOR CLARITY: 

The land being discussed here is NOT Birchalls Carpark and it is NOT a component of the acquisition of Birchalls property. 

It is in fact the "Parterson Central Car Park" and it has been known as that for 20 years.

APRIL 28 WHAT IS HOPED FOR POST STATE ELECTION

City of Launceston council

The new governance structure and $209m redevelopment of University of Tasmania Stadium [Can Launceston ratepayers ACTUALLY afford this and is it on their priority list?] heads the City of Launceston council's funding priorities, alongside a $2.5m upgrade of the Princess Theatre, $1m in new drainage and lighting for the Birch Avenue soccer ground, $3m for CBD traffic flow improvements and $3.1m upgrades to the NTCA Ground. [Where is the bus interchange needed and who asked the community and when?]

Launceston acting mayor Danny Gibson said the council had a clear line of sight over which projects it believed were key for the community for some time. [REALLY?]

"This council's priority projects will realise genuine benefits to a large number of people in our community - from sporting clubs, those in our arts and cultural sectors and motorists who frequent the CBD," he said. [REALLY?]

"And if they are picked up by the parties during this election campaign, they will also help boost our local economy significantly, not just in the short term but over coming years as well." [REALLY?]

Tandra Vale April 29