Launceston Chamber of Commerce invites UTAS to expand North

Chamber of Commerce executive officer Will Cassidy said on Thursday Launceston was an "entrepreneurial city with high aspirations" and the body would welcome more UTAS courses and entities moving to North from Hobart.

Despite disagreement in the South over the proposed relocation of the Sandy Bay campus into the CBD, the North campus is on the verge of rolling out new facilities at a secondary site in Newnham as the university moves it's operations to Inveresk, under the Northern Transformation Project.

The project - jointly-funded by the university and local, state, and federal governments - is being gradually rolled out over the next three years.

READ MORE :Launceston Church Grammar students raise thousands through Walkathon for #LetUsSpeak campaign

Mr Cassidy said the project would be "a transformative project for Launceston that [would] embed the university as a pillar institution for our city".

"The benefits of the Northern Transformation Project to our region are significant," Mr Cassidy said.

"The new buildings at Inveresk come with a commitment by the university to tailor courses to the skills needed for our city and region."

However, he said the Chamber would fully support more university courses and entities moving to Launceston from the South.

The future Newnham site will include a $30 million Defence Innovation and Design Precinct and a $15.8 million Defence Cadet facility as part of expanded infrastructure for the Australian Maritime College.

READ MORE: "We don't know how high case numbers will rise" says Public Health as new wave of COVID-19 expected

The precinct will also have a $15 million agriculture facility to host the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and Tasmania Institute of Agriculture, as well as residential housing.

UTAS Pro-Vice Chancellor Dom Geraghty said the developments would improve access to education in the North of the state, which was "already providing opportunities to collaborate with the community, business and industry".

"The transformation has enabled new courses to be developed for the region in areas of need including allied health, psychology, pharmacy and ICT," Mr Geraghty said.

"Practical components of each course are being supported by new, purpose-built learning and teaching facilities."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: