Planning laws will take away rights of ordinary Tasmanians to have a say in developments, say critics

Ordinary Tasmanians face the risk of having their rights over planning decisions taken away – and they don’t even know it, say critics of proposed new Development Assessment Panels. See what’s planned

Sophie Underwood from Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania is worried about proposed changes to the states’s planning laws.

The government’s proposed changes to the state’s planning laws have been slammed as “cataclysmic for ordinary Tasmanians” and anti-democratic with powers being taken away from ratepayers.

But Planning Minister Felix Ellis said the new legislation backs in “common sense over the Nimbys”.

The Hobart City Council on Monday night will consider a submission on the draft bill to establish Development Assessment Panels (DAPs) which it says “introduces politics into planning” by giving the Planning Minister broad and undefined powers and “reduces the involvement of the community in the planning process”.

The Clarence City Council also will discuss the legislation which mayor Brendan Blomeley has described as “exceedingly poor legislation”.

“Whilst I do not wish to pre-empt a decision of council, in my view, it is clear that this proposed legislation is all about the Minister for Planning taking planning control away from local government and placing those decisions under his direct control and, when delegated, a few selected individuals appointed by government,” he said.

Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley at Richmond. Picture: Chris Kidd

The Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania and Tasmanian Conservation Trust are urging Tasmanians to lodge a submission on DAPs before they close at 5pm on Tuesday.

Alliance state director Sophie Underwood said the DAP fast-track process would remove elected councillors and Tasmanians from having a proper say on the controversial developments affecting local communities as it removed planning appeal rights.

“This is cataclysmic for ordinary Tasmanians,” she said.

“It’s not at all hyperbole to say that these proposed changes to the way developments will be approved and land re-zoned is crossing a threshold for the breakdown of democracy.

“DAPs will take voting ratepayers out of the picture.

“The people of Tasmania are having their rights stripped away and they do not even know.

“Development applications will be approved by a non-independent authority which is not accountable to voters or the ratepayers and will not be subject to the normal checks and balances of appeal rights.

“This is the complete opposite of open and transparent democracy.”

Tasmanian Conservation Trust CEO Peter McGlone says power will be centralised in the minister, who cannot be challenged in the planning appeals tribunal.

“This anti-democratic legislation gives the Minister massive and unchecked power to decide if developments are taken out of the normal council planning system,” he said.

“The government has justified DAPs as a social and affordable housing measure, but this is also misleading.

“Rather than being motivated by a desire to do more for affordable and social housing the government just wants to give property developers a leg up through this anti-democratic legislation.”

Liberal Minister Felix Ellis. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

Mr Ellis said the new legislation would “give the community and developers the confidence they need to invest and continue to meet the needs of our growing population

“No one is surprised the anti-everything brigade is cranky,” he said.

“The Development Assessment Panels Bill will take the politics out of planning and ensure planning decisions are driven by the planning rules, not the personal biases of those select councillors with an axe to grind.”