Latrobe cool store gets green light despite fears over endangered burrowing crayfish
A storage company has been given the green-light to build a warehouse at Latrobe, despite the area being home to an extremely rare crayfish. Why the tribunal gave its blessing.
Tasmania
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A storage company has been given the green-light to build a cool store warehouse on the Bass Highway at Latrobe, despite the area being home to an extremely rare burrowing crayfish.
A group of residents have been fighting Latrobe Council over its decision to grant a development permit to Kings Creek Storage, which plans to build an 80.4m x 64.4m cool store warehouse on a site bisected by Kings Creek.
In its newly-published decision, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal said the channel was “clearly man-made”, meaning it was exempt from requirements under the Latrobe Interim Planning Scheme.
Tribunal deputy president Richard Grueber said the issue of whether the development affected the biodiversity or ecological function of the site had been a key point of argument, with opponents saying the area contained a wetland home to native burrowing crayfish – either an endangered or a novel species.
Mr Grueber said there was debate between experts about whether the endangered northern burrowing crayfish was on the site, but there were reputable reports of it being spotted nearby, and that “the general area constitutes its core habitat”.
Regarding the novel species, Mr Grueber said it had been observed on the site.
“The site is only the second location that the novel species has been identified on,” he said.
“It is conceivable that the site of the proposal is one of only two that contain the new species.”
An environmental expert who gave evidence at the tribunal hearing said the risks the development posed to Kings Creek were “limited”.
He provided a map of northern burrowing crayfish burrows, showing a number were within the development area.
The tribunal found while there was some risk to the species, there was a proportionately small number of burrows in the area and the company would minimise impacts with a riparian plan.
The tribunal also found the area did not contain a wetland, meaning sections of the planning scheme preventing developments near watercourses in certain conditions did not apply.
“This is of some concern to us,” Mr Grueber said.
He said it appeared that both burrowing crayfish were present at the site, and that the appeal likely would have won if the site did contain a wetland as it would have been covered by the planning scheme.
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Originally published as Latrobe cool store gets green light despite fears over endangered burrowing crayfish
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