The award-winning Goulburn Street housing project provides a public housing complex of 25 apartments in central Hobart. It delivers a community-led, contemporary living environment for the elderly and disabled. Recognised for its highly successful design demonstrating high-quality medium density development that integrates successfully with the established streetscape, it balances the opportunities of a CBD fringe site with the complexity of adjacent heritage-listed places.

Era worked with Communities Tasmania, Cumulus Studio and other collaborators to deliver a planning permit for the site. While adjacent to the central business zone, the site was zoned for residential purposes. Era provided a planning framework to assist in the design development, identifying parameters for increasing building height and dwelling density yet reducing onsite car parking beyond permitted parameters, while still protecting the amenity of adjoining residential properties and creating highly liveable spaces within the development site.

Project Highlights

• Award-winning development that sets a new standard for medium density social housing while being responsive to the surrounding environment.

• Identified a successful planning approach to gain approval through a discretionary pathway.

• Provided detailed guidance to architect and other subconsultants on planning scheme requirements.

• Successfully advocated on behalf of the client to elected members for planning approval.