Support THE court challenge to save Arm End Reserve
Save Arm End Nature Recreation Reserve and the Spotted Handfish before it's too late! We urgently need your help to protect this precious land and its unique wildlife. The Arm End Nature Recreation Area, located in beautiful Tasmania, is under threat from a Victorian-based developer who wants to build a private golf course, clubhouse, and infrastructure on public land. This construction would cause significant harm to one of the last remaining populations of the critically endangered spotted handfish.
⚠️court trial Update⚠️
The court trial concluded on Thursday 20 November 2025. The Judge stated that he reserved his decision meaning that he will issue a ruling at a later time.
The TCT legal representatives and supporters outside the court after the trial was completed on 20 November 2025. Vanessa Bleyer - solicitor, Dr Ashleigh Best - barrister, Peter McGlone, Robyn McNicol and Bronwyn Scanlon
Mercury Article “Plan misses tee time at site, court hears” Friday 21 November 2025
Arm End Court trial commences ON 17 November 2025
The TCT’s proceedings against the proponent of the Arm End golf course at Opossum Bay near Hobart is set to go to trial in the Supreme Court in Hobart from 17-20 November 2025.
The TCT commenced proceedings on 23 June 2023. The TCT asserts that the proponent (Mary Ann’s Island Pty Ltd) has failed to substantially commence the golf course development by the purported statutory deadline of 1 October 2022 (having had at least 6 years in which to do so) and as a result the planning permit issued by Clarence City Council has lapsed.
The TCT's goal in taking the court case is to seek a declaration from the court that the planning permit for the golf course has lapsed and that no further works can be undertaken in relation to the proposed development.
The planning permit potentially allows the proponent to build an eighteen-hole golf course, practice fairways and greens, clubhouse, massive facilities centre and water tanks, a 60-space car park, irrigation system and other infrastructure. The TCT asserts that these components of the development have not been constructed.
We believe that our lawyers (Solicitor Vanessa Bleyer and Barrister Dr Ashleigh Best) have prepared strong arguments and will be able to effectively represent our interests in court. Also, we believe that the independent experts who we asked to produce reports, being planner (Daniel Bowden) and ecologist (Stephen Mueck), have opinions that support the TCT’s legal arguments.
There are many people from the local community, Hobart and further afield who will be keenly awaiting the court trial and decision that will follow it. There are many people including South Arm and O’Possum Bay residents who have campaigned against the Arm End golf course since before it was approved in April 2016.
It is now almost ten years since this golf course was approved and there is understandably great anticipation in the local community that the issue will be resolved soon, one way or the other.
TCT’s standing to take the case
TCT’s standing may be challenged at the same time as the substantive trial. We are confident the TCT has standing, otherwise we would not have brought the case in the first place. We believe we have a sufficient track record working for the protection of Arm End and on related planning and environmental issues.
The TCT has submitted to the court a vast compendium of documents showing our intense and active interest in Arm End Reserve during the more than six years following the granting of planning approval for the golf course. The TCT worked closely during this period with the O’Possum Bay and South Arm Coastcare and Re-Imagine The End.
TCT involvement dates to 1994
It may interest our supporters to know that in 1994 the TCT worked with residents to advocate against a proposal to rezone the entire Arm End peninsula for residential development. The failure of the rezoning application led to the private owner selling the majority of Arm End, 116 hectares, to the Crown. This later became the Gellibrand Point Nature Recreation Area, colloquially known as Arm End.
Fundraising
Our overall fundraising target is to raise $100,000 to cover the costs of our court case. Just recently, we received a major boost with a $18,000 donation from the Southern Coastcare Association of Tasmania, taking our total raised to $88,000. SCAT decided to donate most of its remaining funds to the TCT because it shares the aim of the court case to protect Arm End from development.
The TCT thanks SCAT and its Committee members for this generous and timely donation. We would like to give special acknowledgement to the tireless, hardworking SCAT Secretary, the late Jadwiga Stanczyk.
Preparation for the trial has been very long and involved a lot of work and the costs are likely to exceed our original estimate of $100,000. Please consider donation to help us put the very best case we can to the court.
Impacts of the proposed golf course
The current planning permit potentially allows the proponent to build a eighteen-hole golf course, practice fairways and greens, clubhouse, massive facilities centre and water tanks, a 60-space car park, irrigation system and other infrastructure.
Arm End is loved as a walking destination, by local South Arm and O’Possum Bay residents and visitors, as it provides breathtaking views across Timtumili Minanya / Derwent River to Bruny Island and kunanyi/ Mt Wellington and across Ralphs Bay to Betsey Island. The entire Arm End reserve was recorded as a place under the Aboriginal Heritage Register in 2013, with numerous sites documented across the reserve.
Adjacent to the Arm End Reserve is the Opossum Bay Marine Conservation Area. The marine reserve is the breeding habitat for one of the last remaining populations of the critically endangered spotted handfish.
The impact of the proposed golf course and associated facilities on Arm End Reserve would be devastating and would include:
Degradation of the recreational enjoyment of the reserve for locals and visitors;
spoil the visual qualities of the reserve;
destroy Aboriginal heritage that is documented across the reserve;
damage remnant native vegetation and prevent the reserve being rehabilitated to a more natural state;
there are also marine values, particularly the spotted handfish, in the adjacent marine reserve that could be severely impacted by run-off from the golf course.
Help us fund our Supreme Court Challenge
About Arm End
Arm End is a beloved natural area that sits at the mouth of the Derwent estuary. It is loved by local residents and visitors with breathtaking views across the Derwent to Bruny Island and kunanyi/ Mt Wellington. The peninsula is home to at least a dozen sites significant to Tasmania Aboriginal community and is formally reserved as the Gellibrand Point Nature Recreation Area, adjacent to the Opossum Bay Marine Conservation Area. This area is also the breeding habitat for one of the last remaining populations of the critically endangered spotted handfish.
You can help
The Tasmanian Conservation Trust is Tasmania's oldest nature conservation Organisation. For over 50 years we have protected Tasmania's threatened native species in partnership with communities all over the state. Now we need your help to protect the handfish and this precious nature recreation area at Arm End. If every person reading this were to give $100, we would reach our goal after only 1,000 donations. We have secured some of the best lawyers in the country to help us fight this case.
Every little bit helps (Click the links above, or use the embedded form, bank account details below).
Bank details:
Account Name: Tasmanian Conservation Trust
BSB: 067 000
Account Number: 2804 3114
Reference: “Your name.Arm End”
Or send a cheque or money order to:
Tasmanian Conservation Trust
PO Box 374
South Hobart, TAS 7004
If you have any queries about the court case or donating, please get in touch with Peter McGlone via peter @ tct.org.au (with the spaces removed) or 0406 380 545.
Update 23 November 2023
TCT court proceedings regarding the proposed Arm End Reserve golf course
On 23 June 2023 the Tasmanian Conservation Trust commenced proceedings in the Supreme Court of Tasmania regarding the long-delayed golf course proposed for the Arm End Reserve at Opossum Bay near Hobart.
It has been a long time since we updated you regarding the court case, so I thought you would like to know what has been happening.
But first a quick reminder of what we aim to achieve with the court case, what our strategy is and why we are concerned about the golf course.
The TCT's goal in taking the court case is to seek a declaration from the court that the planning permit for the golf course has lapsed and no further works can be undertaken in relation to the proposed development.
In our application to the Court, the TCT asserts that the proponent has failed to substantially commence the golf course development by the purported statutory deadline of 1 October 2022 and as a result the planning permit issued by Clarence City Council has lapsed.
Although the court case does not seek to assess the impacts of the proposed development, we believe that Arm End Reserve is a very special place and it is totally inappropriate to build a golf course there.
The impact of the proposed golf course and associated facilities on Arm End Reserve would be devastating. A golf course would degrade the recreational enjoyment and visual beauty of Arm End, destroy Aboriginal heritage and degrade remnant native vegetation. There are also marine values, in particular the spotted handfish, in an adjacent marine reserve that could be severely impacted by run-off from the golf course.
Since we last contacted you about our court case a lot has been happening behind the scenes.
On 27 September 2023 the court agreed to a timetable for preparing the case for hearing. Lawyers for both sides have been busy providing the court with the documents that each will rely on in arguing its case. This legal process is called discovery and we are hopeful this will be completed soon.
A date for finalising the case has not been established but we understand that it will not be before March 2024. We will notify you when the final date has been set.
The discovery phase has provided the TCT with hundreds of documents about the proposed Arm End golf course, including documents that have never been available to us before. Due to legal process, we cannot release the content of these documents at this time, but we will release them when we are allowed to.
There has been some recent media commentary by the golf course proponent about a water treatment plant they propose at Blackmans Bay. This is proposed to treat water (from the Blackmans Bay sewerage treatment plant) before it is piped to Arm End . The treatment plant and pipeline have different planning permits to the golf course and so are not central in our court case. We understand the permit for the pipeline is still in force but the pipeline is only partially constructed. The treatment plant is currently being assessed and is open for public comment. The TCT will make a representation on the development.
Further comments:
Peter McGlone
CEO
Tasmanian Conservation Trust
0406 380 545
peter@tct.org.au
