Councillors have overturned a Heritage Officer’s recommendation that would have seen two outdoor TV screens at a popular Hobart sports bar banned.
The retrospective application was made by the owners of the Pavillion in Salamanca after they discovered that a planning permit was needed for the screens, which were initially installed in early 2023 to showcase live sports games.
Hobart councillors on the planning committee spent over an hour debating whether or not to allow the screens to stay during a meeting on Wednesday night, with just three out of the ten members voting against keeping them.
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, speaking against the proposal, said council staff had ‘very clearly’ recommended against allowing the screens outside the business and raised concerns about the impact the content on them, mainly sports betting, would have on passersby.
“The report is very clear that this does not meet the Sullivans Cove Planning Scheme … I do have concerns … that this does detract from the character and heritage value of the listed buildings,” she said.
The Mayor said there are planning rules ‘for a reason’ and the council shouldn’t make decisions “based on Pulse”, referring to comments made on social media by concerned members of the public that were upset by the potential removal of the screens.
“I think the officers have given us very clear advice … so I’m not sure what everyone else is talking about … Our officers have given us very clear advice that it should be refused,” she said.
“People can enjoy watching their sports indoors.”
Councillors including Ryan Posselt and Alderman Marti Zucco said screens were common place in other heritage locations across Australia and the world and found no issue with the proposal.
“We let the white umbrellas go up, we let 2024-model cars park in-front … Places will mould and shape as society moves on,” Posselt said.
“This is what people want. People want to be able to have a beer and watch a game of sport.”
Anna Reynolds, Helen Burnett and Mike Dutta were the only councillors who voted against the screens.
