A Singapore-based company wanting to build hotels in Hobart has increased the height of both proposals.

The Fragrance Group has lodged formal plans with the Hobart City Council for a skyscraper on Davey Street and another hotel on nearby Collins Street.

Both proposals have created controversy for exceeding planning scheme height restrictions and led to community protests.

Hobart City Council planning director Neil Noye said he was a little surprised when the formal planning application from the Fragrance Group revealed the extra height on the buildings.

The planned Davey Street building has increased in height from 120 metres to over 210 metres.

Mr Noye said the proposal is for 186 metres of inhabitable floors, and then a 24-metre spire.

The Collins Street proposal has jumped in height from 73 metres to 94 metres at the top of that building's spire.

Mr Noye said the plans exceeded the planning scheme heights, even more than earlier plans.

The council is obliged to consider the applications before it, in line with the Sullivans Cove Planning Scheme.

The precinct has a height limit of 18 metres.

Neil Noye says the 75 metre limit referred to in the report has been taken out of context. ( ABC News )

The owner of Hobart's historic Hadley's Hotel has joined the chorus of criticism about proposed skyscrapers in Hobart.

Don Neil, who has also developed the Old Woolstore, has called on the council to stick to its current planning scheme.

"Council should defend their planning and not just roll over at the slightest suggestion from developers that they need increased height, that they need to build towers," he said.

Mr Neil said it was Hobart's historic heart that attracted tourists.

"You don't build a tower right in the middle of the things everybody's come to look at," he said.

He said he feared having cranes on the skyline could be counterproductive and drive people away from the city.

Don Neil says tourists are attracted to Hobart's "historic heart." ( ABC News )

"As light follows day, what will happen is the traffic will clog up, there's no parking master plan, there's no roads master plan, there's no light rail master plan."

The usually reclusive Mr Neil has spoken out following a report commissioned by the Council which suggests an upper height limit of 75 metres for buildings in the central business district.

The current planning scheme sets a limit of 45 metres, although several buildings do exceed that.

The council has discretion to permit taller buildings if it considers other matters including sunlight and streetscape.

Report's height limit 'a footnote'

Architect and Urban Design consultant Leigh Woolley was commissioned by the council to better articulate the values of the city and what needs to be protected.

Mr Woolley said his report needed to be considered in total, not just the 75 metre height limit which was in a footnote.

"I'm not saying that 75 metres is the new limit, what I am saying is there's a range of townscape principles that would need to apply including those that are already in the planning scheme and that anything above 75 metres would be individually prominent and I've recommended against that," he said.

The Collins Street hotel will now top 94 metres, up 20 metres on the original concept. ( Supplied )

Mr Noye said the council had not adopted a height limit of 75 metres.

"We're not relying on it so far as an overall numerical height limit of 75 metres, our current numerical height limit would still be at 45 metres and we're not moving away from that at this point in time," he said.

Mr Noye said more work needed to be done "before any overall height limit was entertained."

Mr Woolley's report will be used by the council to strengthen criteria for the public and developers.

Mr Neil believe that to see the highest rate of return, some developers were likely to want to build as high as they could.

"I don't blame the developer for picking up 75 metres and saying now I can design a 75 metre building, because the council have opened the gate."

In the CBD there are several buildings that exceed 50 meres in height and, at 73 metres, the Wrest Point Casino tower is Hobart's tallest.

Proposed amendments to the planning scheme will be released for public comment in the coming weeks.

Final approval rests with the Tasmanian Planning Commission.