Mount Wellington Cableway Company (MWCC) want to build a cablecar up the face of kunanyi/ Mt Wellington, in Hobart. This is being resisted by a determined community based campaign. Things have been a bit quiet of late. Here is an update from Residents Opposed to the Cable Car which highlight some significant shortcomings in the development application for the cablecar proposal.

Incomplete and farcical development application:

As reported by the ABC Tasmania News, the MWCC is now required to submit information on more than 30 aspects missing from the company’s Development Application that was lodged on June 12th, 2019.  These include matters pertaining to; Planning, Traffic Impact and Road Engineering, Bushfire Management, Biodiversity, Potentially Contaminated Land, Water, Environmental Impact, Stormwater, Noise Impact, Geotechnical Assessment and Geoconservation and Visual Impact. The MWCC has two years from the lodgement date of their DA to meet these requirements.  As of July 24th, 2019 the MWCC had not responded to any of Council’s requests for this information.

Documents obtained under the Right to Information Act 2009:

1) Councils response to application for RTI assessed disclosure

Click to access rti-assessed-disclosure-response-redacated.pdf

2) The fourth of the Council’s four requests to the MWCC requesting information missing from the company’s DA

Click to access pln-19-345-100-pinnacle-road-mount-wellington-tas-7054-redacted.pdf

 

Halls Saddle Proposal

The Hobart City Council investigation into a visitor center at The Springs has identified a potential alternative location outside of Wellington Park at Halls Saddle.  The Council are examining this alternative site as a future gateway to Wellington Park.  There are many positive aspects to this concept and it would fit with the fundamental principle of keeping kunanyi wild.

 

Carlton United Breweries land

(Previously the owners of the Cascade Brewery site had been approached to provide land for the cablecar development).

Recent Hobart City Council meeting minutes confirm that the owners of the Cascade Estate in the foothills of kunanyi intend to retain ownership and control of their land and work cooperatively with the HCC on land management.

 

Bushfire

The proposal put forward by the MWCC is classified as a class 9b building. This is the same classification as a child care center in relation to managing bushfire risk.  Their base station would require extensive clearing and there is no clear water supply to the site.  Locating such a vulnerable use on the slopes of kunanyi is a ridiculous and dangerous proposition.