Hobart Not Highrise pushing for new vote on maximum building heights for CBD after upheld code of conduct complaint

It was a huge topic of debate last year and now Hobart Not Highrise is pushing for new vote on maximum building heights for the CBD after an upheld code of conduct complaint.

• Complaint against Aldermen Marti Zucco about ‘racist’ comments upheld, similar complaint against Simon Behrakis dismissed
• The Hobart City Council has voted down a height limit of 60m for buildings in the Hobart CBD

HOBART City Council should bring back the debate on absolute building heights as an alderman’s “bullying and harassment” may have influenced the vote, says the head of lobby group Hobart Not Highrise.

Hobart Not Highrise president Brian Corr lodged complaints against aldermen Simon Behrakis and Marti Zucco over emails, Facebook posts and media releases relating to discussion around the planning application for the redevelopment of the Welcome Stranger Hotel in July last year.

The code of conduct panel’s report was be tabled at the council meeting on Monday night and it found Ald Zucco had bullied and harassed Mr Corr.

In one instance, the panel found Ald Zucco used the terms ‘racist’ and ‘fascist’ “loosely in debate” and “failed to show respect to those community members who had contributed to public debate on the Welcome Stranger application.”

“The panel finds in the 10 incidents cited in the complaint, Ald Zucco had several times been unfair, has caused offence or embarrassment, has harassed a member of the public by repeated public attacks on him and has failed to show respect,” the panel found.

Mr Corr said he felt vindicated by the decision and while the process was “drawn out” he found the code of conduct panel “professional and thorough.”

“People expect their elected members to be civil and treat them fairly – Zucco didn’t do that,” he said.

Ald Zucco said he would “always condemn racism in a forthright manner no matter what.”

“The council must review its policy on racism,” he said.

“As this matter is in the hands of lawyers, there is nothing more I can say at this point in time.”

In August last year, elected members voted 6-5 against a maximum building height of 60m in the Hobart CBD.

Mr Corr said HNH believed the building heights debate should be brought back for a new vote because the process had been concurrent with the Welcome Stranger debate.

“With a decision this badly tainted, it really should be done again to restore the public’s confidence in the council’s decision-making process,” he said.

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said elected members had received about 250 emails urging them to reconsider the heights vote, but said the issue would be part of the Central Hobart Precinct Plan, which had been delayed slightly by the pandemic, but would allow for public input.

Meanwhile, the complaint against Ald Behrakis was dismissed.

He said the case was “yet another example of the need for the current code of conduct process to be abolished.”

“As it stands, it serves only to frustrate the time, attention and resources of democratically elected local government representatives,” he said.