Mount Wellington Cableway Company tight lipped on project’s future
The boss of Mount Wellington Cableway Company remains optimistic on the project’s future after a letter from the Premier revealed his support of the cable car. SEE THE LATEST
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Mount Wellington Cableway Company chair Chris Oldfield said no decision has been made on the direction of the company after a recent meeting with the Premier.
This week the window closed for the company to appeal the decision upholding the council’s refusal of the MWCC’s development application for a cable car.
What followed was a letter from Premier Jeremy Rockliff to Mr Oldfield, encouraging the company to look further at the design and options for the project and a meeting between the two.
“My government continues to support a cable car project and in light of your recent advice will look thoroughly at how this may be best achieved,” Mr Rockliff wrote.
Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson also said the Liberals wouldn’t rule out declaring it a major project.
On Friday Mr Oldfield had little to say about the meeting.
“The Premier certainly spoke to me and wrote to me and said he is keen to see a sustainable travel solution for Mount Wellington,” Mr Oldfield said.
“I don’t think the government’s come out and backed the project but the government has said there needs to be a sustainable transport solution on Mount Wellington.
“He also made the point very strongly that plenty of jurisdictions around the world seem to have cable cars as a solution, particularly in Tasmania it would be more unique in that ours would be run by 100 per cent renewable energy.”
Mr Oldfield said the company was watching the situation closely.
“At the moment we don’t have a live application, we will watch with interest what happens over the next few months,” Mr Oldfield said.
“It’s not for me to second guess what government may or may not do.”
Mr Oldfield said commentary over the last few days showed support for the proposal.
“We have been overwhelmed with the level of support in recent days,” Mr Oldfield said.
“I believe there’s very strong support for a sustainable transport solution for Mount Wellington, I don’t think anyone disagrees with that.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the challenges of the mountain were an ongoing problem.
“Despite the events in recent weeks we still have the challenge of thousands and thousands of people that quite rightly want to access the mountain,” he said.
“It’s about how do we reset, review, relook at a project in some iteration, such as a cable car and other sustainable eco friendly solutions … to ensure we don’t love the mountain to death.
“We’re very much open to redesigning, we’re open to other sustainable eco-friendly solutions.”
Cable car opponents “perplexed” by meeting with Premier
The Premier’s meeting with the cable car proponent has left those opposing the project confused.
Residents Opposed to the Cable Car chair Vica Bayley said the development application for the project had gone through a thorough process.
“This is a completely perplexing move from Premier Rockliff, we’d appeal to his sense of fairness and equity,” Mr Bayley said.
“This cable car has gone through a proper process, measured against the management plan, the planning scheme and the proponent exercised its right to test that in the planning appeal.
“It was comprehensively rejected on 18 grounds.”
Mr Bayley questioned whether major projects legislation could be used to push through the project.
“The only way the Premier could intervene here is to toss out the management plan of the planning scheme and do away with third party appeal rights and fast track an assessment a la the pulp mill,” Mr Bayley said.
“Major projects legislation was tailor made and written for projects such as the kunanyi cable car - complex, controversial and non compliant with existing management plans and the planning scheme.
“It would lend itself to major projects legislation except the Rockliff government - or indeed the Gutwein government - ruled out ever using major projects for the kunanyi cable car.
“And the Hobart City Council has a role in agreeing to any proposal on that land being made a major project.
“I’m not sure major projects is the solution here.”
Mr Bayley likened the project to the Bell Bay pulp mill.
“I think this would take special legislation just like the pulp mill,” he said.
“Lets cast our mind back ten years to tell Tasmanians how successful that was in terms of delivering a pulp mill and bolstering the financial security of the company that proposed it.”
REVEALED: Rocky’s private cable car letter
THE Premier has encouraged the proponents of the Mt Wellington cable car to take another look at the controversial proposal — which his deputy has hinted could be fast-tracked under major projects legislation.
Fresh from delivering a serve to anti-development naysayers, Premier Jeremy Rockliff met with Mt Wellington Cableway Company chief Chris Oldfield this week, and wrote to him on Wednesday reaffirming the government’s support.
“My government continues to support a cable car project and in light of your recent advice will look thoroughly at how this may be best achieved,” he wrote.
“Similarly I would encourage the company to consider further design scope and options for its project and would be pleased to receive an update on this in due course.”
The company this week elected not to appeal a Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal decision to knock back the project after Hobart City Council refused a development application.
If the government declared the proposal a major project, it would bypass council assessment and be considered instead by a panel appointed by the Tasmanian Planning Commission.
The Liberals passed legislation in 2019 to help the company with its bid.
Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson on Thursday gave the strongest suggestion to date that the Liberals was open to declaring the cable car a major project.
“I’m not going to rule that out. What I am going to say is that the current proposal has now failed,” he said.
“It’s failed because of a council that was totally hostile to it and while they made a decision which has obviously stood the test of time, in terms of tribunal arrangements, that council was always against that proposal and weren’t prepared ever really to work with the proponents.
“A lot of Tasmanians would like to see a modern, sustainable light-touch cable car, allowing them to visit Mount Wellington during the summertime and when there’s snow and the road’s blocked.
“We’ll just not be ruling things in or out of this stage but we want to see that happen one day in a sensitive way and we’ll consider what options we might have to support that in the future.”
Mr Ferguson said he was disappointed that what he described as a small group of activists had stalled the project.
“The government still wants to see the cable car vision being achieved one day in Tasmania and of course, we’ll take advice about whether or not there are ways that the state government could help make that happen in a sensible and sustainable way.”
Residents Opposed to the Cable Car spokesman Vica Bayley said moves to revive the project were hard to understand.
“It would have to be a substantially different proposal: come from Glenorchy, not go over the Organ Pipes, not have a massive visitor centre at the summit,” he said.
“How can they attack the council, when the council has just been completely vindicated? This project is completely discredited.
“It would confirm everyone’s worst fears about the major projects legislation, which they said they wouldn’t use. It would just be a quick and dirty approval.”
Comment was sought from the Mt Wellington Cableway Company.
Letter transcript:
“Thank you for meeting earlier this week. I acknowledge that the Mount Wellington Cableway Company has decided not to appeal the recent decision of the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
I want to take this opportunity to reaffirm the Tasmanian Government’s position as a strong support of a cable car on kunyanyi/Mount Wellington.
A cable car project would not only support a sustainable visitation strategy for the mountain but also stands to bring significant investment to our State and create new jobs, both during construction and once operational.
Jurisdictions around the world have embraced cable car technology and I believe it to be a sensible and sustainable transport solution to help manage increases in tourism to special areas of the State in a manner that protects our natural environment.
My government continues to support a cable car project and in light of your recent advice will look thoroughly at how this may be best achieved. Similarly, I would encourage the company to consider further design scope and options for its project and would be pleased to receive an update on this in due course.”
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