The Greens today welcomed the process of repeal of the Sullivan’s Cove Waterfront Authority Act.
Greens Alderman and Lord Mayor candidate Helen Burnet believes that any return of the planning building and regulatory control for Sullivan’s Cove is a sensible move for approaching the city’s planning holistically.
Ald Burnet said today “The Council’s powers were curbed from 2004, which has seen an utter wastage of funds – in the vicinity of $2m per year – with very little strategic or large-scale planning outcomes in Sullivan’s Cove over that time. The likely annual cost to Council once the responsibility is handed back is more like $200K per year, but with revenue obviously generated from planning applications, there will be even less of a cost to the public.
“Once this is handed back to Hobart City Council, there will be the onus on Council to be prudent and strategic about waterfront developments.
Ald Burnet also welcomed the report put before the Development and Environmental Services Committee this evening which recommends the establishment of an Urban Design Panel for major developments for our city.
The Council would be working for better outcomes with the State Architect and experienced panel members before major and important developments got off the ground. This would help advise developers on what works well for the city, and would possibly strengthen the proposal.
The other important element would be that this would be before the statutory process and that the community’s views would be represented by the elected representatives when they are finally considered.
www.helenburnet.com.au
