The Hobart City Council has voted to request the University of Tasmania pause "all activities pertaining to its proposed campus relocation" from Sandy Bay into the Hobart CBD until further consultation is done.
It follows the overwhelming 'no' vote by City of Hobart residents in a recent elector poll, which asked if they supported the university's proposed campus relocation from the suburb of Sandy Bay to the CBD.
Following the poll, which had a 74 per cent 'no' vote from more than 30,000 ballots, the University of Tasmania withdrew its planning scheme amendment for a redesigned Sandy Bay campus and promised to work with the council on its next steps.
The university wants to turn its existing suburban campus into a new housing, sports and entertainment precinct once it completes a move into the CBD.
In a public statement, the university conceded its community consultation and engagement "has not been successful".
What will come next for the project is still unclear.
Last night, councillors voted to send a letter to vice-chancellor Rufus Black and the University Council requesting they undertake "genuine and thorough consultation with the Greater Hobart community", focusing on the reasons for the relocation, the associated costs and benefits, and alternatives to a full relocation.
The letter will also request that UTAS push pause on "all activities pertaining to its proposed campus relocation until it has completed its consultation" … and until a City of Hobart structure plan for Sandy Bay and Mt Nelson is completed.
The council will also seek to convene a meeting with representatives from the university, state government, move opponents and other relevant stakeholders to discuss the elector poll's results.
Council Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said it was about making sure the community was heard.
"Our job as community representatives is to reflect and communicate the wishes of the Hobart community, and that's what we've done through this motion of sending a letter to UTAS and setting out what the elector poll told us."
However, she said ultimately the council's main power in this debate was in their role as a planning authority.
"That's why we need to be involved in thinking about a more strategic approach to thinking about the future of Sandy Bay, and ensuring that the community has a bigger say in setting the vision for Sandy Bay the campus area, but Sandy Bay more broadly."
Structure plan to help 'shape development' of Sandy Bay campus
To achieve this, the council last night also passed a report recommendation to expedite the preparation of a "structure plan" for Sandy Bay, encompassing Mt Nelson.
"One of the things that we all heard very loudly at the election was people's concern that the master plan that UTAS has presented for Sandy Bay was a surprise to people," Ms Reynolds said, "and it was not necessarily a shared vision."
The structure plan developed by council would define the desired direction of Sandy Bay in the future, guided by the community, to ensure there is a connection between the sentiments expressed in the elector poll and the City of Hobart's strategic planning land use framework.
"It's much more about the community, with council setting the agenda," she said.
"We can't require people to change their corporate plans. We can't say to people, 'You must sell that block of land and not develop it.'
"What we can do is shape development and set the rules for development — and a structure plan is an important first step."
It is expected that details relating to the scope of the plan, and a proposed community engagement program, will be considered by the council at a meeting in February.
