Council gets to know the drill on cable car site

Hobart councillors have inspected the proposed cable car drilling points on kunanyi/Mt Wellington.

A map of the locations of the Mt Wellington Cableway company’s proposed bore holes.

HOBART councillors have inspected the proposed cable car drilling points on kunanyi/Mt Wellington.

A number of councillors were given a walking tour on Thursday to examine the nature of the drilling locations put forward by the Mount Wellington Cableway Company.

Alderman Jeff Briscoe, chairman of the council’s Parks Committee, said the site visit would help inform their discussion on Monday of the draft permit issued by the State Government for Wellington Park.

He said the council may decide to provide feedback on the permit to State Growth Minister Peter Gutwein.

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Proposed drill sites for the cable car.

Mr Gutwein said he was currently consulting with the Wellington Park Management Trust on access to land for the cable car.

He said the Government was supportive of the cable car development and he anticipated access to land would be granted in the “near future”.

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said although the works permit process was being run by the Government, the Hobart community still expected them to understand what was happening.

“As part of the council’s role as day-to-day manager and owner of the mountain and its surrounds, it is important councillors take the time to see where the proposed drilling points are going to be and what possible impacts may be possible due to work on site,” she said.

MWCC chairman Chris Oldfield said: “If councillors want to visit the sites, that’s up to them.” He said the company hadn’t seen the draft permit yet.

Residents Opposed to the Cable Car spokesman Ted Cutlan said they were pleased councillors had visited the sites to educate themselves on the proposal.

“Anyone who visits the site of the proposed base station will see that it is a very steep difficult site and carparking will be extremely difficult,” he said. “That is why the most recent version of the MWCC plans only included 55 car spaces, nowhere near enough.”