A new hotel for Devonport
The town of Devonport in Tasmania is getting a new hotel with Devonport City Council signing an agreement with contractor Fairbrother to develop the $40 million waterfront hotel site in the city's CBD.
Fairbrother will finance and build the hotel, appoint an administrator and it has the option to develop a marina as part of the agreement.
The hotel is expected to take two years to build. Site works are expected to start in 2019.
It will be a four star hotel sitting on a 3500 square metre parcel of land. The hotel will have between 150 and 200 rooms.
Devonport mayor Steve Martin said awarding the contract to a local firm would boost regional employment.
“With the advent of the waterfront hotel, we are very much sure it will attract more tourists into our areas to enjoy what the city has to offer and what the north-west coast has to offer…and it will have a ripple effect right throughout our region,” Cr Martin told the ABC.
The hotel is all part of the council’s Living City redevelopment plan to create a more service and tourism based economy for the north-west.
He said the council had flagged an extra $112 million a year with the Living City program creating 800 full-time jobs from 2021. And that part of the program was already underway with about 50 apprentices already working on Living City projects.
In addition to the hotel, Fairbrother is now developing a $25 million, multi-purpose civic building. It will be located near the hotel site and it will be funded by federal, state and local governments.
Another $40 million in funding is coming from private investment.
Fairbrother CEO Craig Edmunds said the hotel would draw visitors to Devonport.
“The link to the conference centre that is currently under construction will be a major drawcard for any potential hotel operators,” Mr Edmunds told the ABC.
by Leon Gettler, October 5th 2017
