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Tasmania’s peak business group is warning the state’s reputation could suffer after the apparent rejection of a proposed $300 million development in Ralphs Bay on Hobart’s eastern shore.
The Planning Commission released a draft report yesterday saying Walker Corporation’s development is not compatible with Ralphs Bay.
The Commission says the environmental costs would far outweigh the economic benefits.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Richard Dowling says Tasmania is gaining a reputation as a bad place for developments.
He says the planning process in Tasmania is too confrontational and needs to be changed.
“We have some real challenges there to try to overcome that perception and certainly this latest decision will make national headlines and that won’t help,” he said.
“Too often you’ve got the confrontational ‘why you can’t do things’, rather than the Planning Commission working with the proponent to try to help them and negotiate through these hurdles and show them how they can do these projects.
“That’s what we need to be moving towards – there’s a lot better models around the world than what we’ve got in Tasmania.”
The Planning Commission’s draft report says Walker Corporation’s canal housing development was not compatible with Ralphs Bay.
Corporate governance expert Tom Baxter says it is unlikely the project will be approved.
From ABC Online, here. Read more here
Dave, OBC Online
