Watch out Meander Valley, Lennon’s on your tail

Dr Neil Smith

I never thought I’d see Pulpy Paul expressing a more reasonable view than some others in the community. Perhaps there is a catch to it. Or perhaps “people power” has actually had some effect. Strange, he doesn’t have to face an election until 2010. Still, this new disclosure certainly reduces to rubbish the dismissive Meander Valley Council Staff report on Public Submissions presented to Council on 23 October (and adopted in toto by the former councillors, in the most cynical fashion, in their representation to the RPDC).

A VERY interesting report in The Mercury (2 November) has Mr Lennon telling Parliament that tree plantations will be banned on classes 1, 2 and 3 agricultural land in the new Protection of Agricultural Land Policy.

I never thought I’d see Pulpy Paul expressing a more reasonable view than some others in the community. Perhaps there is a catch to it. Or perhaps “people power” has actually had some effect. Strange, he doesn’t have to face an election until 2010.

Still, this new disclosure certainly reduces to rubbish the dismissive Meander Valley Council Staff report on Public Submissions presented to Council on 23 October (and adopted in toto by the former councillors, in the most cynical fashion, in their representation to the RPDC).

In their consideration of submission after submission the staff report notes (as its only analysis of the submission in most cases) “The PAL Policy defines plantation forestry as an agricultural use and as such, expects that it should be considered as any other agricultural use. The consideration of various land uses and crops is discussed below”.

There are plenty of other objectionable aspects to the currently-proposed amendment to the Meander Valley Planning Scheme, oh-so-conveniently whizzed off to the RPDC on the eve of counting for the Council elections. One can only hope that the RPDC and/or Mr Kons or Mr Lennon see through some of the more over-zealous and draconian suggestions.

As a first step, in the light of yesterday’s declaration by the Premier in Parliament, the new Meander Valley Council must, at its first opportunity, write again to the RPDC withdrawing its now irrelevant recommendations and undertaking to compile a completely new assessment of Public Submissions which gives appropriate weight to the points expressed by the people as their democratic right.

Dr Neil I Smith

South Hobart