Retired judge, Stephen Holt, concerned about development proposed on his doorstep in Sandy Bay

A former Supreme Court judge has expressed serious concern about a visitor accommodation development proposed to be built near his home.

Retired Associate Justice Stephen Holt has raised concerns about a visitor accommodation development proposed to be built next door to his home. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

A retired judge has sounded the alarm about a visitor accommodation development proposed to be built near his Sandy Bay home, saying it could have “catastrophic consequences” for local residents and threaten the structural integrity of their properties.

Stephen Holt, a former associate Supreme Court judge, is a resident of Star St, where WQD Capital is hoping to construct 12 units on a vacant lot.

Hobart City Council planning officers have recommended the development application for approval and elected members will vote on the proposal at a meeting of the Planning Authority Committee on Wednesday.

Concept design of proposed visitor accommodation development on Star St Sandy Bay. Picture: M2architecture

Mr Holt, who was a practising lawyer before serving as a judge and specialised in environment and town planning matters, said he accepted that “responsible development” should generally be “tolerated” by neighbours, including the “inconvenience and disruption of construction”.

“However, I do not believe that adjoining owners should have the structural integrity of their homes put at risk by the construction process,” he said.

“The report of an engineering geologist submitted with the development application makes terrifying reading. A massive excavation of steeply sloping land in a declared landslip hazard area is proposed.

“The report says that the land just below the surface likely contains dolerite boulders up to about three metres in width. In other words, boulders each weighing up to about 40 tonnes. The escape of any one of these boulders could easily have catastrophic consequences for those unfortunate enough to be in the densely populated area below.”

Proposed Star St visitor accommodation, Sandy Bay. Picture M2architecture

Simon Guesdon, a manager at equipment hire business Bay Hire, which is about 500m south-east of the proposed development site, said a small boulder had recently rolled down the hill from Star St and struck a wall on his company’s premises.

“I just heard this ‘bang’ and then looked down and where my car was parked versus where this boulder hit, I reckon there was about three feet between it,” he said.

“There’s only one place it could have come from. You could see where it had rolled down the bank.

A boulder that Bay Hire claims rolled onto its premises from the proposed development site on Star St. Picture: Supplied

“It scared the hell out of us.”

Geotechnical consulting firm, Geo-Environmental Solutions (GES), undertook a slope stability assessment of the Star St site on behalf of the proponent, finding there was “no landslide within the immediate area of the site”.

But “shallow and deep-seated slope instability” was identified as “an issue … during the construction and excavation of the site”.

GES, however, said the risk of slope failure was low, provided the slope was retained during the construction period.

It recommended that a retaining structure be installed to the rear of the development site before excavation works were carried out.

“Rockfall hazard has not been identified at the site. During the investigation, occasional cobble and boulders were observed within the surficial soils. There is a possibility that rockfall could become dislodged during earthworks,” the GES report said.

Originally published as Retired judge, Stephen Holt, concerned about development proposed on his doorstep in Sandy Bay