Chuq
October 26th, 2004, 02:47 AM
http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,11182250%255E3462,00.html
Developer ponders drawcard
By DANNY ROSE
26oct04
THE new owner of the former Antarctic Adventure building says it will be filled by "something the people of Hobart and Tasmania like".
But Tasmanian developer Robert Rockefeller said a decision on its future use was still months away.
Mr Rockefeller spoke publicly of the purchase of the cavernous Salamanca Square building for the first time yesterday.
It comes after the State Government's announcement last week that Mr Rockefeller's investment company had lodged the top, and successful, bid for the prime address.
The state-owned site of a former failed tourism venture was sold to Winrock Investments Pty Ltd for $2.4 million.
Mr Rockefeller said yesterday he was in a process of meeting the "key stakeholders" in the Hobart City Council and the precinct's body corporate.
It has been speculated the open-plan building, which has almost 4000 sq m of floor space over two levels, could be used to house a new cafe, restaurant and shops. It already has a small cinema.
Mr Rockefeller said the building offered a "large space" in a "good area" but he remained open to ideas about what to put there.
"We don't have any plans at the present time," he said yesterday.
"It will be a number of months before we do . . . but we will come up with something the people of Hobart and Tasmania like."
Mr Rockefeller also appeared to rule out talk that a fast food chain such as McDonald's could be a tenant in the redeveloped site.
"It's news to me," he said.
Any future use will have to comply with the Sullivans Cove Planning Scheme.
The State Government's move to sell the building on the open market followed a failed restricted-sale process which followed the closure of the poorly performing state-run tourist attraction Antarctic Adventure last year.
Developer ponders drawcard
By DANNY ROSE
26oct04
THE new owner of the former Antarctic Adventure building says it will be filled by "something the people of Hobart and Tasmania like".
But Tasmanian developer Robert Rockefeller said a decision on its future use was still months away.
Mr Rockefeller spoke publicly of the purchase of the cavernous Salamanca Square building for the first time yesterday.
It comes after the State Government's announcement last week that Mr Rockefeller's investment company had lodged the top, and successful, bid for the prime address.
The state-owned site of a former failed tourism venture was sold to Winrock Investments Pty Ltd for $2.4 million.
Mr Rockefeller said yesterday he was in a process of meeting the "key stakeholders" in the Hobart City Council and the precinct's body corporate.
It has been speculated the open-plan building, which has almost 4000 sq m of floor space over two levels, could be used to house a new cafe, restaurant and shops. It already has a small cinema.
Mr Rockefeller said the building offered a "large space" in a "good area" but he remained open to ideas about what to put there.
"We don't have any plans at the present time," he said yesterday.
"It will be a number of months before we do . . . but we will come up with something the people of Hobart and Tasmania like."
Mr Rockefeller also appeared to rule out talk that a fast food chain such as McDonald's could be a tenant in the redeveloped site.
"It's news to me," he said.
Any future use will have to comply with the Sullivans Cove Planning Scheme.
The State Government's move to sell the building on the open market followed a failed restricted-sale process which followed the closure of the poorly performing state-run tourist attraction Antarctic Adventure last year.