Up to 1000 new homes will take the place of barracks with Defence land at Dowsing Point near Hobart City to be sold to the state.
The announcement was made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Tasmanian Premer Jeremy Rockliff on Sunday.
The 31-hectare site is one of 67 Defence properties to be sold off; it is home to the Derwent Barracks and Defence personnel based there will have to be transferred first, which is likely to take at least 12 months, the governments say.
The premier says demand for housing in the greater Hobart area remains high, fuelled by population growth, and says Dowsing Point is in an ideal expansion corridor.
It is close to transport links (including main arterial roads), a future ferry terminal, the Intercity Cycleway, Northern Suburbs Transit Corridor and is just 2km from the Glenorchy CBD.
“This is an exciting project,” Albanese told journalists at a press conference on Sunday.
“You look at this site and what a wonderful place it will be to live.”
He says the transition from Defence to state land will be “managed in a staged and sensible way” with federal, state and local (Glenorchy City Council) governments all involved.
“All proceeds from property sales arising from the Defence Estate Audit will be reinvested back in Defence…”
Rockcliff calls the Dowsing Point decision “a generational investment” in Tasmania that will boost housing and support jobs.
Tasmania’s Housing Minister Kerry Vincent says it is “amazing that we’ve had this site (made) available” but says plenty of work like site remediation and staff relocation is left to do.
HIA REACTS TO NEWS OF MORE HOMES
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has welcomed the news of the land sale.
The association’s executive Director for Tasmania, Benjamin Price says much-needed homes will be added in a well-located area close to services, jobs and transport.
“Tasmania’s housing challenge is fundamentally a supply issue,” he says.
“When housing supply falls behind demand, affordability suffers. The most effective way to address that is to ensure there is a steady pipeline of land and homes coming to market.”
Price said the Dowsing Point site is well placed to benefit from Commonwealth infrastructure funding announced in last week’s Federal Budget.
“Well located land like Dowsing Point is exactly the kind of site that should be prioritised under the infrastructure funding announced in the Federal Budget,” he said.
“Targeted investment in enabling infrastructure can make the difference between land sitting idle for years and homes being built.”
EARLIER DEFENCE NEWS: Land sale-off prompts Tasmanian worry
