A Hobart CBD site that was once proposed to be transformed into a 13-storey building complete with 52 apartments has gone up for sale.
The Welcome Stranger Hotel, previously known as The Freemasons Hotel, at 58 Harrington Street hit the market on Wednesday afternoon under the heading of: “High Profile Corner – Ideal for Occupiers or Developers”.
The busy corner property at the Davey Street intersection has sat empty for several years after the Hobart City Council rejected a 2019 development proposal for a 45-metre tall apartment complex.
Three councillors, Jeff Briscoe, Helen Burnet and Bill Harvey voted against the $30 million project due to heritage and height concerns raised by council planners.
Simon Behrakis and Tanya Denison voted in favour of the development.
The developers appealed the decision to the -then Resource Management and Planning Tribunal, who upheld the council’s refusal.
At the time, the developers said it was ‘hard to see why’ the plan had been rejected in what was then the start of the ongoing housing crisis.
A ‘large pub group’ reportedly purchased the site in 2022 for a figure said to be around $5.5 million.
The current sale campaign is being run by Elders Commercial and JLL, who describe the property as an “outstanding opportunity for developers, investors and owner occupiers”.
The property includes the brick pub and hotel building, along with a small unoccupied cottage facing Davey Street.
The site is being sold through expressions of interest until mid-June.
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