A push for a world-class convention centre in Launceston is on the table, but the $35 million project won’t get off the ground without a $10 million contribution from the state government.
JMC Group has committed $20 million to the riverfront precinct, while the Launceston City Council has pledged $5 million towards critical riverbank remediation works at Kings Wharf.
Both say the development is entirely dependent on taxpayers stumping up the remaining funds.
JMC Group managing director Errol Stewart said his company would wear “all construction risk” and deliver the project at a fixed price.
“We are ready to invest $20 million of our own capital to build a convention facility and riverfront precinct that showcases Launceston and Tasmania on a national stage,” he said.
“What we need now is for the state government to commit so we can turn this vision into reality.”
The proposed 4,000-square-metre facility would cater for up to 1,000 delegates and include 300 car parks, with a 120-room hotel built alongside it.
Plans also include a 400-metre public boardwalk and landscaped green spaces to replace a degraded stretch of the kanamaluka/Tamar Estuary riverbank.
Mayor Matthew Garwood said council’s contribution reflected both the “terrible state” of the riverbank and the potential economic windfall the project could deliver.
“But let me be clear,” he said.
“Neither the river remediation or the convention centre precinct can proceed without the Tasmanian government stepping up and committing to the $10 million they’ve been asked to contribute.”
An independent demand study found Launceston is being held back by its lack of a contemporary convention facility, despite strong underlying demand.
The research suggested the city could double its business events and attract about 40 conferences a year with the right infrastructure – most of it new business for Tasmania rather than events poached from elsewhere in the state.
Business visitors spend about three times as much as leisure tourists – up to $1,400 a day – and a single 1,000-delegate conference can inject $5.9 million into the local economy, according to Launceston Chamber of Commerce chief executive Alina Bain.
“This project would be a catalyst for jobs, investment and confidence across northern Tasmania,” she said.
Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Amy Hills said conferences helped smooth out the seasonal peaks and troughs that plague the hospitality sector.
“… Delegates tend to stay for additional days and explore surrounding regions, so more conferences for Launceston means more visitors at different times of the year exploring more of our state,” she said.
The Stewart family has a long history of reshaping Launceston’s waterfront, with previous projects including Seaport, the Silos hotel conversion and the CH Smith redevelopment.
JMC Group has begun detailed design work, but construction now hinges entirely on whether the state government comes to the table.
