Chocolate maker Cadbury wants to bring a Willy Wonka-type factory experience to life at its manufacturing site in Tasmania.
And Glenorchy City Council has approved its plans for a new $120 million three-story building at Claremont that will be accessible by river.
Mayor Sue Hickey is thrilled that the plans were approved by council, meeting as the Glenorchy Planning Authority, at a meeting on Monday, but points out that it comes with conditions.
“Being able to approve this development for Glenorchy is extremely important for our community and economy. This new experience will deliver many benefits, not just for Glenorchy but for the broader region and entire state,” she says.
“I know I’m not the only person very keen to see work get under way and the facility open its doors to embrace the chocolate-lover economy.”
CHOCOLATE CENTRE
The plans call for a three-storey 2700 square metre building with ferry jetty, cafe, emporium, plant rooms, labs, studio, taste kitchen, outdoor dining and a covered walkway.
Minutes from the meeting shows that the site is home to a hollow tree in which a threatened parrot species nests and that will have to be left alone.
Plans for a single-vessel jetty say there is “no significant” ecological or scientific value which may prevent construction but points out that that there has been no feedback from Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania to date.
Permanent berthing has been ruled out with a limited service only, it says; click here for the agenda from the meeting.
“This project represents a major investment in the Cadbury facility and in the Glenorchy municipal area, as well as a huge show of confidence in our city’s ability to host world-class tourist attractions,” Hickey says.
“For more than 100 years, the Cadbury factory produced chocolate at Claremont; its factory tours and subsequent visitor centre provided an important tourism experience in addition to the company’s manufacturing activity,” Hickey says.
“I’m sure chocolate-lovers the world over have been eagerly awaiting a new visitor experience ever since the centre closed a decade ago.
“I have absolutely no doubt this will become a tremendous tourism destination in its own right,” she says.
“With views of the Derwent (River) on one side and Mt Wellington on the other, the Chocolate Experience will be an amazing attraction for visitors and locals alike,” she said.
