Hobart City Council is worried the University of Tasmania's plan to turn its Sandy Bay campus into a housing, tourism and sporting precinct falls 3,000 car spaces short, documents obtained by the ABC show.
Over the next several decades, UTAS wants to move its southern campus into Hobart's CBD and redevelop the existing Sandy Bay site.
Under a master plan released last year, 2,700 new homes could be built on the property, along with tourism projects and new sporting facilities.
Documents obtained by the ABC reveal the university's application to the Hobart City Council for an amendment to the site's planning scheme has been met with about 155 questions, including concerns about a lack of car parking.
"It is noted that reduced parking may reduce amenity of future users/owners and leaseholders on the site compared to surrounding land within the same zone and suburb, and that conversely these adjacent zones are likely to be subject to comparatively increased development costs of providing parking."
While the university's application has not been made public, the Hobart City Council document suggests the institution has planned for shared car parking spaces.
The report rejected the idea: "It is unreasonable to assume that car spaces can be shared on the basis that peak parking demands for different land uses would mean that parking spaces are not occupied and residential parking spaces must be guaranteed.
"Please demonstrate where shared car parking use has previously worked in similar circumstances."
'The size of Blackmans Bay in a small area'
For the past 30 years, Ian Johnson and his wife have lived just metres from the Sandy Bay campus.
The pair met playing badminton while studying at the institution.
Mr Johnson said they loved the area and it was a "vibrant" place to live.
But they fear the suburb will change, their lifestyle suffer and student life disappear with the influx of cars from 2,700 extra homes.
Mr Johnson accused the university of "planning on the run", and said he had not been approached directly by the university despite living nearby.
"They're planning an extra 2,700 houses on this site — that's the size of Blackmans Bay subdivision in a small area," he said.
Council not convinced about affordable housing
Council officers have also asked the university for detail on how it will deliver affordable housing as promised.
"The response for how the proposal intends to provide 'affordable housing/urban renewal' is very weak," the council document said.
"The response does not describe how the future development will provide for 'affordable housing'. Please provide additional measures and comment on how this will occur."
Minutes from a UTAS Properties board meeting, also obtained by the ABC, show the board signed off on $275,320 for consultants to respond to the council's queries.
UTAS has pitched the move into Hobart's CBD as helping improve access to education for people who live out of inner Hobart.
Save UTAS Campus chairwoman Pam Sharpe said she found that hard to believe.
"We feel a campus 2 kilometres from the city centre with all sorts of advantages, a fantastic location, is something that Hobart should be saving," Professor Sharpe said.
"We've got the same problem in the city. Where are all those cars going to go, and how expensive will it be?"
The University of Tasmania has been contacted for comment.
