Hobart’s contentious cable car proposal appears on shaky ground after the state’s planning tribunal ruled against it.
The Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has published its much-anticipated ruling on the cable car.
The tribunal has considered 26 grounds of refusal raised by the council and other parties including issues like noise emissions and visual impact and has found that the controversial proposal failed in respect of 18 of them.
The Mount Wellington Cableway Company had taken it to the authority after being knocked back by Hobart City Council in June.
“…the proposal does not sufficiently mitigate or remedy the loss of visual values and impacts on visual character of the affected area that arise from the proposed pinnacle centre,” said the newly-published reasons for decision.
“…the proposal will generate noise emissions that will have an adverse effect on the quiet enjoyment of the natural and cultural values of kunanyi/Mount Wellington and which are insufficiently remedied.”
TASCAT also found removal of native vegetation for a base station access road would have hit breeding habitat for the critically endangered swift parrot.
MWCC Chair Chris Oldfield today said the company understood there was a great deal of public interest in the project and therefore intended to make its position clear as quickly as possible.
“However, we need to get advice from our legal and planning advisers on the technical detail of the Tribunal’s determination,” Mr Oldfield said.
“The Tribunal’s determination and its implications for the future of the project also need to be considered by our board and key shareholders. Consequently, we will not be commenting further at this stage.”
