Landowners continue battle against Hobart Airport interchange project despite failed appeal to Tasmania’s planning tribunal
Landowners at the centre of a stoush over a $50 million upgrade to the Hobart Airport roundabout have failed in an appeal to the state’s planning tribunal. But they are not giving up the fight. LATEST >>
Tasmania
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LANDOWNERS at the centre of a stoush with Clarence City Council and the State Government over a $50 million upgrade to the Hobart Airport roundabout have failed in an appeal to the state’s planning tribunal.
But they are not giving up on fighting against the development, with an action underway in the state’s Supreme Court about the project.
Local landowners have said the approved design does not allow them proper access and challenged the project’s development approval, which was granted by the council on July 13.
On Friday the Resource Management and Planning Appeals Tribunal handed down its decision after a three-day hearing last month.
It dismissed all three grounds of appeal — which were that the design was not safe and unreasonably impacts on the efficiency of the road, concerns over stormwater run-off, and that the proposal had an adverse effect on other properties through displacement of overland flows.
“The Tribunal is satisfied that the proposed development complies with the relevant provisions of the scheme and that a permit should issue subject to conditions,’’ RMPAT wrote.
The landowners say they were promised a two-way access road between the airport interchange and a location near the Golf Park, with a one-way on-ramp onto the city-bound side of the highway — but say it was left out of the latest design.
Greg Casimaty — part of a consortium with plans for a multimillion-dollar development at Cambridge — said the landowners were disappointed with the outcome.
“We are obviously disappointed, not only as land owners, but for Tasmanians, because in the ultimate they are getting a more expensive development (around $9 million more) for their taxpayer dollars, that our pre-eminent expert told the Tribunal would lead to more traffic concerns both in terms of safety and transit times,’’ he said.
Mr Casimaty said the government had joined with the council and the construction company, Hazell Bros, against the landowners.
“If that is not indifference and or active interference, we are not sure what is,’’ he said.
Mr Casimaty claimed the Public Works Committee had not specifically been consulted about the works, and there was an action before the Supreme Court about that.
Construction has recently started on the traffic-busting interchange but it headed for the planning tribunal after talks to solve the impasse broke down.
The upgrade was first announced in 2016 as part of the federal election campaign, and the state government has promised it will be finished by mid-2022.
Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael Ferguson welcomed RMPAT’s decision to uphold the council’s planning approval.
“Major construction can now continue on the Tasman Highway Hobart Airport Interchange upgrade, which will make the intersection safer, reduce traffic congestion and accommodate the future traffic needs of the region,’’ he said.
“The upgraded interchange will relieve the current pressure on the intersection and is designed to handle the expected traffic growth over the next two decades by improving traffic flow and access to and from the Hobart International Airport.”
Mr Ferguson said the design and construction contract had been awarded to Hazell Bros, with ground preparation and service works progressing on site.
Full statement from landowners:
We are obviously disappointed, not only as land owners, but for Tasmanians, because in the ultimate they are getting a more expensive development (around $9 million more) for their taxpayer dollars, that our pre-eminent expert told the Tribunal would lead to more traffic concerns both in terms of safety and transit times.
What makes matters worse is that on 25 August 2020 Minister Ferguson told Parliament:
The Government will respect that process between the parties, which now needs to run its course without interference.
Unfortunately the Government (at considerable taxpayer expense) itself, not DSG (as the Minister represented to Parliament on 26 August 2020), that applied and was joined as party and actively fought side by side with Hazells and the Council against us. If that is not indifference and or active interference, we are not sure what is.
In a nutshell, commuters from surrounding suburbs to nearby and growing Sorell to the City are unlikely to get what Minister Ferguson says will come, and more likely there will be a gridlock.
That disappointment is magnified because the Public Works Committee, that safeguards taxpayer expenditure on public works, was never specifically consulted about this new public works, again to the detriment of taxpayers and us.
There is currently an action in the Supreme Court of Tasmania against Hazell Brothers about this, so the congratulations Minister Ferguson reserved for Hazell Bros in his latest media release may be premature.
Full statement from Michael Ferguson — Infrastructure and Transport Minister:
The Tasmanian Government warmly welcomes the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal’s decision to uphold Clarence City Council’s planning approval for the Hobart Airport Interchange.
Major construction can now continue on the Tasman Highway Hobart Airport Interchange upgrade, which will make the intersection safer, reduce traffic congestion and accommodate the future traffic needs of the region.
The Australian and Tasmanian Governments are jointly funding this important project through the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative.
As an immediate relief measure, we have already doubled the capacity of the roundabout — taking it from one to two lanes.
The upgraded interchange will relieve the current pressure on the intersection and is designed to handle the expected traffic growth over the next two decades by improving traffic flow and access to and from the Hobart International Airport.
The design and construction contract has been awarded to Hazell Bros, and ground preparation and service works have been progressing on site.
As I have consistently said, we will not be pressured by politically motivated media campaigns into spending large sums of taxpayers’ money unnecessarily and wastefully.
Today’s decision is a vindication of Hazell Bros’ development designs and professional conduct.
The project is part of the South East Traffic Solution program, which has a joint funding commitment of $349.5 million by the Australian and Tasmanian Governments.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is delivering a major $2.4 billion roads and bridges infrastructure program, announced in the 2020-21 State Budget, to make our road network safer and improve travel time reliability for locals and visitors.
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