Hobart’s Hanging Gardens Office Block Wins Approval

A precinct in the Tasmanian capital has taken a step forward with approval granted for a $74-million, nine-storey office building.  

The City of Hobart Council has granted planning permission for the block within the cultural precinct proposed for the centre of the capital, at 25 Watchorn Street.

It is part of the In The Hanging Garden cultural precinct being developed by the Hanging Garden Group, a joint venture between developer Riverlee and MONA owner David Walsh’s creative agency, DarkLab, announced in 2017.

The precinct occupies a block bordered by Liverpool, Murray, Bathurst and Watchorn streets with three stages proposed for developing the office building and redeveloping the Odeon Theatre.

Other buildings within the block have been revamped and are open as dining and leisure venues within the precinct.

The approved office building will comprise lower ground floor and basement parking and retail, with more retail and office space on the ground floor. The other seven floors will comprise office space.

There will be 16 carparking spaces, 38 bicycle storage spaces, loading dock, end-of-trip facilities and storage areas across the basement and lower ground floor. 

The building will have a total gross floor area of 13,733sq m—9489sq m of net lettable office space and 329sq m of net lettable retail space.

▲ A sketch of the In The Hanging Gardens precinct slated for Hobart.

The site is a carpark on part of the block designated for the cultural precinct.

Hanging Garden Group will also provide a contribution of $445,000 towards civic amenities—councillors voted to ensure that was spent on or near the site. 

Fender Katsalidis has designed the plans for the building and the overall precinct.

The plans received 14 objections that were concerned about the height of the building, whether it complied with the precinct plan or the council’s vision for the city and if it could be replaced with a six-storey version. 

Hanging Garden Group had previously submitted an application for a taller version of the building in 2022 but withdrew it before the council made a determination. 

▲ DarkLab creative director Leigh Carmichael and Riverlee development director David Lee in 2017 when the Hanging Gardens Group was announced.

The site is an amalgamation of eight lots with a total area of 2020 square metres.  

ASIC records show that Hanging Garden Group lists four directors: Betty Lai Heng Lee, Clement Lee, Zenon Pasieczny and David Dominic Walsh.

Walsh’s company, DarkLab Developments, holds 25 per cent of the shares in Hanging Garden Group with the rest equally divided between Killara Quest Pty Ltd, Bridley (Australia) Pty Ltd and 19 St Georges Terrace Pty Ltd.

Killara Quest Pty Ltd lists Clement Lee, Betty Lee, Kevin Lee, David Lee, Tricia Lee and Kristin Lee Pratt as directors and Bridley (Australia) Pty Ltd lists Betty Lee, Nik Anida Manshor, Tan Sri Azmi Wan Hamzah and Afzal Aris Azmi as directors.

The former is wholly owned by Mango Bay Enterprises, which is registered in the British Virgin Islands. 

John George Balazs, John Wilson, Zenon Stanley Pasieczny and Rachel Margaret Newitt are listed as directors for 19 St Georges Terrace Pty Ltd.