State government intervenes to advance housing development

Tasmania’s Planning Minister has intervened on behalf of a proposed Droughty Point development, signalling plans to extend the urban growth boundary to allow more homes. LATEST >>

Skylands Development renders for a 2500-home mega-build proposed for Droughty Point - just 25 minutes from Hobart CBD. Picture: Skylands

PLANNING Minister Michael Ferguson has intervened on behalf of a proposed Droughty Point development, signalling plans to extend the urban growth boundary to allow more homes.

Mr Ferguson on Friday lashed Clarence City Council for knocking back a developer’s plan to build up to 2500 new houses on land at the site.

Describing the bid as a “very exciting proposal” Mr Ferguson pledged swift action.

“It’s my full intention to change the urban growth boundary … it will release 500 hectares of additional land back into the urban growth boundary, which then opens the way for the independent Planning Commission to consider rezoning proposals.

“It will take five weeks from today.”

Mr Ferguson said the council was not helping during a statewide housing crisis.

“It beggars belief what the majority of Clarence City Council councillors chose to do on Monday night, it was against the public interest.

Parliament, Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson. Picture: Chris Kidd

“They were elected to govern and to make decisions in the wider in the state’s interest and that’s why it is important that I do provide this important role of extending the urban growth boundary in an absolutely measured and sensible way.

“I’ve written to the necessary councils and the Planning Commission this morning and I intend to make that decision after taking that final feedback but it is important that we see all councils be more proactive at seeing sensible land release and in this particular case, consistent with their expert planners advice, which they chose to ignore.”

Labor’s local government and planning spokesman Luke Edmunds said delays to the project were Mr Ferguson’s fault for refusing to extend the urban growth boundary last year.

“Minister Ferguson is the one who refused an Urban Growth Boundary extension request from Clarence City Council only last year saying that ‘… an amendment to the UGB… would be both premature and potentially undermine the Greater Hobart Plan and its implementation’.

“Now, after a week of insisting this mess was not his responsibility, Minister Ferguson now claims he will ‘intervene’ to address his own failure.

“No wonder developers, councillors and the community are in limbo. No one knows which rules they are playing by under Minister Ferguson.”

And the Greens’ Rosalie Woodruff said Mr Ferguson’s decision was “wrong, unnecessary, and shows a disdain for democracy”.

“Given the Planning Minister said in July last year that changes to the growth boundary could ’undermine the Greater Hobart Plan and its implementation’ and that any amendment would be ’subject to a thorough and comprehensive assessment process’, it is reasonable to think he would have supported the council’s decision.

“Instead we’ve seen Minister Ferguson rush to override the council’s decision without following any assessment or consultation process. This intervention shows contempt for the people of Clarence, and will raise alarm bells for councils around Tasmania.”