Binalong Bay Crown Land on the market amid government sell-off

A state government program to sell off “surplus” Crown Land is causing friction at a Tasmanian coastal town, angering environmentalists who claim the land is home to native wildlife.

THE sale of a block of Crown Land in Binalong Bay has angered a local environment group, as the state government presses ahead with a program to dispose of “surplus” Crown Land across Tasmania.

The 2851m2 block on Felmingham St in Binalong Bay was recently advertised for sale at $600,000 and is under offer.

On Wednesday night the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania said they were attempting to pause the sale to allow for further environmental investigations.

North East Bioregional Network president Todd Dudley said the land, which is attached to a nature reserve, should not have been sold in the first place without public consultation.

“They have bit of a history of putting land on the market that probably shouldn’t be on the market,” he said.

Todd Dudley (R), President North East Bioregional Network Inc, and Peter Nicholls, VP of the Binalong Bay Rate Payers Association, at the Bay of Fires in Tasmania. Dudley and Nicholls are opposed to a proposal to scuttle the ex HMAS Darwin as a dive wreck and artificial reef at Skeleton Bay. The Australian/Peter Mathew

“It will be most likely for a large house...it wouldn’t be suitable for affordable housing.”

The parcel of Crown Land was advertised as “a beautiful opportunity” to secure a rare vacant residential building block in the town with water views and to be “spoilt with space.”

Mr Dudley said the land had significant conservation values including swift parrot breeding habitat and a nearby sea eagle nest.

He said the land had a shallow soil profile which would present runoff issues for Skeleton Creek.

“Our view is that land and the other bit of public land there that isn’t protected should be incorporated into the Humbug Point recreation area,” he said.

The state government is reaping the benefits of Tasmania’s soaring real estate market by selling off Crown Land “surplus to the Government’s needs”.

Sloop Reef, Binalong Bay by Kerry Heaney.

The land sale program was announced last year by Parks Minister Jacquie Petrusma and is being run by the Parks and Wildlife Service.

The Parks and Wildlife Service currently has three lots of Crown Land listed for sale in addition to the block at Binalong Bay.

They are a cleared 3473m2 block in Derby, a partially cleared 4050m2 block at Nabowla and a tree-covered 8494m2 block at Taranna.

The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania has argued unused Crown Land should be returned to the Aboriginal community.

A Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania spokesperson said so far they’d sold ten properties in their bid to sell surplus crown land.

“The Department ... has a program of identifying parcels of Crown land which are surplus to Government requirements and are suitable for public sale,” the spokesperson said.

“The land at 31 Felmingham Street, Binalong Bay was investigated for sale as it was zoned as ‘residential land’ and is located directly adjacent to other residential properties.”