Mountain Springs Hotel, Mt. Wellington, Hobart. Image: from here
GREENS BACK INVESTMENT PUSH FOR MT WELLINGTON
Proposal at “The Springs” is a far better option
Cassy O’Connor MP
Greens Member for Denison
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Greens Member for Denison Cassy O’Connor and Hobart City Council Greens Alderman Bill Harvey are calling for a concerted push to get the proposed development at The Springs on track and completed as soon as possible.
“All the hard work has been done, the project is shovel ready with a valid permit, all that’s needed is a developer to build it and someone to run it” said Ms O’Connor.
“It’s actually the perfect location with magnificent views of the Organ Pipes. It’s at the start of the acclaimed North-South Track and is the place where many people start and finish their day-out on the mountain. “
“With an estimated 300,000 visitors to the mountain every year, along with 365 day access and great location, the Springs development could be a very viable business.”
“The cable car proposal, on the other hand, is the proverbial pie-in-the-sky. It would be environmentally damaging, visually awful, economically unfeasible and an absolute nightmare experience for visitors when the wind is racing up and over the mountain,” Ms O’Connor said
Alderman Harvey said the recently formed lobby group, the Mt Wellington Task Force, had missed a golden opportunity to highlight the advantages of The Springs.
“The Greens believe that it has been unfortunate that all the perennial huff and puff about a cable car has taken the focus away from The Springs development,” Alderman Harvey said.
“Our research shows that a cable car just wouldn’t work because the mountain is too high with too many high wind days for safety, and it’s accessible by road to the general public as it is, most of the year.
“A cable car is a nonsense for our mountain, so let’s get sensible and start talking about the Springs development.
“The Hobart City Council remains committed to The Springs as the primary development site on the mountain which was reinforced again at a recent council meeting.”
“It has also been reinforced by the public consultation process conducted by the Wellington Park Trust as part of their review of the Wellington Park Management Plan,” Alderman Harvey said.
“The council and the Wellington Park Trust now need to begin the process of finding a new developer to make it happen,” Alderman Harvey said.
