Controversial Lake Malbena helicopter tourism proposal put on hold
Environmentalists are celebrating “an early Christmas” with news plans for a luxury helicopter tourism development at Lake Malbena have been put on the backburner. LATEST >>
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PLANS for a luxury helicopter tourism development in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park have been put on the backburner, with the developer withdrawing its appeal from Tasmania’s planning tribunal.
But while environmentalists celebrated Thursday’s news as “an early Christmas gift for wilderness lovers’, developer Wild Drake has promised the game isn’t over yet.
In September this year, Wild Drake suffered a massive blow to its plans at Halls Island, Lake Malbena, when the Full Court of the Supreme Court agreed with the Wilderness Society and its co-appellants that errors were made in the granting of a permit.
The court ordered the matter be remitted to the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal for reconsideration.
Wild Drake – run by husband-and-wife team Daniel and Simone Hackett – promised not to back down, but on Thursday announced they would withdraw from the local planning appeal process.
Instead, Mr Hackett said he would return to the planning approval process after a federal assessment into the proposal had concluded.
“We will be turning our considerations to this assessment after the summer break, and will re-enter the local planning process at the conclusion of that process, with additional clarity,” Mr Hackett said.
He added the project had passed “all merit-based assessments and decisions”, with the current approval hurdles relating to the “legal drafting of these decisions”.
Meanwhile, the Wilderness Society described the news as a “huge win for the community”.
“We have won a significant battle in the fight to stop the privatisation and commercial exploitation of Halls Island on Lake Malbena in the heart of the world’s highest-rated World Heritage wilderness,” Wilderness Society campaign manager Tom Allen said.
“If this ill-advised commercial tourism venture had been granted a planning permit, it would have excluded everyone else from this cherished World Heritage island and degraded World Heritage wilderness.”
Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said the news was “Christmas come early” and urged Mr Hackett to “walk away from the this divisive proposal now”.
Federal Independent MP for Clark Andrew Wilkie welcomed the withdrawal, describing the project as “nothing short of environmental vandalism”.
“Imagine the impact helicopters buzzing over the magnificent Walls of Jerusalem National Park would have had on bushwalkers trying to quietly enjoy their wilderness experience,” he said.
“I am sure I speak for many Tasmanians in saying we need to be protecting our precious natural assets instead of auctioning them off to those who wish to exploit them for commercial gain.”
Last November, Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley announced Lake Malbena would require assessment to address a number of concerns such as helicopter noise, possible impacts on the endangered wedge-tailed eagle, increased fire risk, erosion, impacts on wilderness values and impacts to Aboriginal cultural heritage.
The controversial project has been the subject of a series of court clashes since it was first knocked back in February 2019 by the Central Highlands Council – but subsequently approved by the tribunal.
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