Controversial building vote needs to wait for fresh Council

A vote on what could be the CBD’s tallest building should not occur on the eve before Council polls close, and should be held over until the new Council is elected.

The University of Tasmania has submitted a proposal for a 15-level building to be built on the former site of the Farm Gate Market on the corner of Elizabeth and Melville Streets. It is due to go to a Council meeting on Monday 27 October – one day before polls close for Council elections on 28 October.

The building will be equivalent to 10 Murray Street in height, making it the highest building in the city when that building is demolished.

This is a controversial development that the Council officers say breach the Planning Rules. It has the potential to change the shape and character of the city. A decision should not be rushed through in the final hours of this Council.

Approving a controversial development that breaches planning guidelines should not be the last act of this Council.

Because local government does not have a caretaker period like state and federal governments, decisions are being made right through the election period. This is not ideal at all, but it’s particularly problematic when a controversial development is made the night before the Council changes.

www.annareynolds.org
Anna Reynolds Candidate for Alderman, Hobart City Council