TBRDECEMBER19

10 Tasmanian Business Reporter - DECEMBER 2019
NEWS
Woolstore believes
in meeting all needs
THE Old Woolstore
Apartment Hotel in Hobart
was recently recognised
at the Tasmanian Tourism
Awards, winning gold in
the Business Events Venue
category.
It caps a big year for
the hotel, having also
taken out the Tasmanian
Hospitality Awards for
Excellence trophy for Best
Meetings & Events Venue
in August.
Previously a multiple
winner at state and
national levels in tourism
and hospitality awards, and
Qantas Australian Tourism
Awards National Hall of
Fame inductee in 2016,
The Old Woolstore has
been serving Tasmanian
businesses since 1997.
Speaking at the awards,
Chief Operating Officer
Alan Nelson provided some
background to the win.
He said: “We have a
purpose-built facility, we
tailor our business to meet
the needs of our customers,
we have a great team and we
work really hard to achieve
our goals. It’s really all about
our team though.”
The Old Woolstore,
features 242 hotel rooms and
self-contained apartments,
full hotel services, five
different accommodation
room types and seven
purpose-built meeting/event
spaces, along with integrated
audio-visual technology.
Executive Chef Sam Wagg
is committed to making the
most of local produce and his
team is happy to tailor food
options to meet a variety of
needs.
“We’ve had a really busy
winter and the forward
bookings over summer and
beyond are looking really
positive,” Woolstore CEO
Ben Targett said.
“It is clear that Tasmania
is still a very popular
destination, and that goes for
people and organisations who
are holding events.
“We offer a great
experience and there is no
doubt it is appreciated by our
visitors,” he said.
The Woolstore’s winning team, rear, Ben Targett, Sam Wagg and Alan Nelson and
front, Yami Delphin, Gabriella Fraraccio, Emma Fettke, Marnie Craig and Debby
Gluskie.
Right from the ground up
BY MARY MASSINA
CEO Macquarie Point
Development
Corporation
AS with all things, looks can sometimes
be deceiving.
When we take the time to look up
and marvel at grand buildings and
architectural feats, we often neglect
the work, effort and care taken to
establish what is considered the
most important aspect of a building
– its foundations.
The foundations are what holds
everything together, and without
getting that right, we might never
get a building off the ground.
From an outsiders’ perspective
or one who hasn’t been thoroughly
involved with the Macquarie Point
project, you might be forgiven for
thinking not much has been done
on-site.
It may “look” this way, but under
the surface lies complexities
that must be considered before
taking even the first step towards
construction.
Since the 1850s, Mac Point has
been an industrial precinct that has
been rich and varied; once used as
drill halls for the army, an abattoir,
a general dump, gas works and then
finally becoming the home of Hobart’s
rail yards.
And we know that best practice
wasn’t always considered in the
early years of settlement.
These uses have contributed to
logical hazard
by leaching
into the
groundwater.
This has
meant that
more than 400
bore holes
have been dug
across the site
and neighbouring
areas,
to ensure there
is a rigorous
understanding
of how
water travels
underground.
Understanding
and analysis
of where
contaminants
were buried
on site required
Hobart’s historic and vitally important Macquarie Point.
the soil
to be stockpiled,
ahead
the many issues and hazards that
lie beneath, and understanding
the complex nature of how to deal
with these issues has been a task
the corporation takes with utmost
responsibility.
Since the reset of the development
in late 2016 which required
the corporation to begin again from
scratch, we have been focused on
addressing issues such as; title,
planning rule requirements, legislation,
remediation, infrastructure,
geo-technical requirements as well
as the site’s legacy issues.
The Macquarie Point Development
Corporation Act 2012, puts in
place a higher level of remediation
than any other site in Tasmania,
with a requirement for sign off by
the Environmental Auditor.
The process of remediating the
9.3 hectare site is complex, with
many constraints and challenges.
A large part of understanding the
site was to firstly work out how
groundwater travels across the land
to make sure we knew how it was
to be cleaned, analysing whether
any diesel spills created an eco-
of testing and removal.
Redundant infrastructure is littered
across the site, such as the old
diesel and oil pipelines, water and
storm water pipes, the electricity
cabling and the easements associated
with the infrastructure.
And to add to the complexity, the
main sewer line for Hobart’s CBD
runs through the site posing problems
that require well informed solutions.
And that’s just what the corporation
has been busy doing – working
hard to achieve solutions.
In a Tasmanian and a Mac Point
first, the Environmental Auditor has
now signed off on the first parcel of
land earmarked as the potential site
of the Antarctic and Science Precinct.
Signing off on this first parcel of
land should give all Tasmanians confidence
that there is a rigorous and
understood process that addresses the
complexities of this site ahead of permanent
development.
Large scale remediation work has
begun onsite where 6000 tonnes of
soil will be removed in the next three
months then tested ahead of being
transported to Copping Landfill.
Further to this, the corporation has
now received approval by the Hobart
City Council for $3 million worth of
additional remediation work to clean
up the majority of the site.
Planning rules have now been gazetted
signaling the finalisation of the
planning scheme allowing for permanent
infrastructure to be established
onsite.
Once the remediation work is
complete, the next step will be to
construct the road which will allow
access to the first parcels of land that
will be offered for development in the
new-year.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity
to get the vision right for
one of the state’s most prized locations,
and work is well underway to
achieve that vision.
This is an exciting time for Macquarie
Point and the legacy we will
leave will be one that is well considered,
responsible and something
to be enjoyed for generations to
come.