Swansea’s heritage Morris General Store has received the stamp of approval for a significant new development.
Glamorgan Spring Bay councillors voted in favour of the development, which will feature food services, six two-story dwellings, a hotel and a wine bar, on Tuesday.
The project will see the current IGA supermarket building on the site demolished and replaced with a new hospitality complex, while the warehouse will only undergo conservation and stabilisation work.
Due to a lack of car parking spaces, the council will require a cash payment ‘equivalent to 23 parking spaces’ from the developer before construction begins.
The Morris General Store is a registered heritage site on the Tasmanian Heritage Register.
Swansea’s historic Morris General Store set for major revamp
September 28: New designs have been released for the redevelopment of the heritage listed Morris General Store in Swansea.
This 1838-built structure is considered a “significant landmark” in the town, with deep-rooted ties to its history and development, according to a heritage report prepared for the developer.
The report said the building was also of “value to Tasmania as a relatively rare rural example of a freestanding commercial warehouse”.
“The proposed works, while generally limited to conservation works to the Morris General Store building itself, do entail notable change to the surrounding site and streetscape.’
“The design process has taken into account the identified heritage values of the subject site and has developed a proposed design that gives consideration to significant view lines, to the landmark qualities of the subject building and to the Franklin Street streetscape.”
The proposed works focus on conservation and stabilisation of the upper levels of the store, rather than the previously planned hotel and shop that was proposed in 2022.
The developer has also made changes to the design of the five townhouses that were originally planned.
Two hospitality buildings, one to the west and one to the east of the main building, would also be built under the plan, while the current IGA supermarket next to the Morris General Store will be demolished to make way for one of the hospitality buildings.
“The supermarket and the ancillary buildings directly related to the operation of the supermarket were constructed in the latter half of the twentieth century and do not contribute to the significance of the heritage place,” the heritage report said.
“They could be demolished with no adverse impact on heritage significance.”
The plans are available for consultation on the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council website until October 5th.
