Plans for a “chocolate experience” at the Cadbury Chocolate Factory site in Hobart’s Claremont have been approved by Glenorchy City Council.
The $150 million project involves the revitalisation of the historic factory building, closed since 2015, and a new building expansion housing a chocolate lab, a chocolate lounge, an emporium and tasting facilities. It also includes the redevelopment of the factory’s waterfront parklands with landscaped walkways and a new Cadbury Claremont ferry terminal.
The project has been led by tourism entrepreneur Simon Currant of Simon Currant and Associates, who said that “from the moment visitors arrive, [the experience] will be unlike any chocolate attraction in the world.”
“It will be an innovative, immersive and deeply emotive experience that uses storytelling and technology to bring the magic of chocolate-making to life,” Currant said. “It will be full of surprise, nostalgia, creativity and joy, and, of course, there will be plenty of chocolate along the way.”
The creative direction of the project has been led by Tasmanian architecture firm Cumulus Studio, together with Art Processors – an experience design enterprise from David Walsh, founder of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).
According to the designers, the vision, which was released in September last year, “takes cues from the adjacent Cadbury Factory, reimagining its pipes, machines and conveyor belts into a hyperreal chocolate world.”
At the time of the design’s unveiling, director at Cumulus Studio Peter Walker described it as “an architectural embodiment of chocolate itself – rich, layered and unforgettable,” and “a place where magic is not just seen, but felt, tasted and experienced in every detail.”
According to a communique from Cadbury and Simon Currant Associates, the project is forecast to welcome 431,000 visitors each year – down from an initial estimate of 550,000 – and generate $120 million for the Tasmanian economy annually.
Ninety-five percent of the project cost is intended to be financed by private investors, with “existing government support providing the confidence for its future success,” the media release notes.
Currant commented that the council’s approval “is a huge win for Tasmania and for Claremont.”
“It represents a generational boost for the local economy, creating jobs, attracting investment, and helping move Tasmania’s visitor economy to the next level. Securing development approval has taken years of working closely with the local community, council and Cadbury, and it’s fantastic to see all that hard work starting to pay off,” he said.
The project is due to be completed by September 2028.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
