In The Hanging Garden INDUSTRY FEATURE
A new cultural mecca is headed for Hobart, with a popular city precinct about to undergo a multimillion, three-stage makeover I n the Hanging Garden has evolved and transformed ever since it opened in 2019 – but the latest redevelopment is set to transform the area into a multi- purpose, buzzing precinct. The $286 million, three-stage project which will take place across almost an entire city block is officially underway, with town planning applications lodged and demolition works beginning for the $71m first stage. This will feature a 10-storey mixed use commercial building at 120 Bathurst Street, developed by company Riverlee and Quintessential Equity and designed by Fender Katsalidis – the architects behind MONA. By the time the transformation is complete the In the Hanging Garden site, which is bordered by Liverpool, Bathurst, Watchorn and Murray Streets and takes in the historic Odeon Theatre and old Tattersalls Hotel, will boast residential and commercial space, bars, restaurants, live music and family friendly venues. The exact makeup remains to be seen – the developers will be guided by the pressing requirements at the time – but regardless it will become a space for people from
all walks of life.
“The end game is a mixed-use cultural precinct that brings together entertainment, hospitality, live music, and a bunch of different commercial uses as well as residence, offices and retail,” says Riverlee development director David Lee. “It will be a bit of everything, not too much of each and really just a precinct that works in harmony. What we’re going to build on one part of the site will change every year really depending on what the market needs. If the market demands residential, that’s where our mind will focus to, if there’s a need for office accommodation, that’s what we’ll target. But at the end of the day, we really need to make sure whatever there is above the ground, the ground floor pedestrian user experience needs to be right. “The Hanging Garden precinct itself, the hospitality business, that’s what really helped us create the precinct as a cultural hub and attracter. So whatever goes above, whether its residence, offices, or a hotel, the first few levels of the pedestrian customer user experience is what I think matters the most. That’s what people will experience when they’re walking past the site, walking through it, and whether they’re living
32 Tasmanian Hospitality Review Oct/Nov Edition
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