This year the TCT has continued in a range of ways to assist community groups dealing with local developments and navigating the planning system.
The Tasman Peninsula has seen a raft of tourism-related developments: a Recreational Vehicle (RV) park at Koonya, a polo field, club house, vineyard and cellar door at Koonya and a restaurant and accommodation development at Stormlea Road near the start of the Cape Raoul Track. All involve the alienation of agricultural land, impacts on adjacent landowners’ amenity and, to varying degrees, impacts on natural values.
At the beginning of 2020 a local resident appealed the Koonya RV park and five other locals joined the appeal. They asked the TCT to assist them in mediation and through six weeks of discussions with the proponent we came to an agreement. The RV park permit was reissued with additional conditions including: dogs and the use of generators are prohibited; vegetation is to be established to provide screening at key locations; all vehicles entering the site are to be free of excess mud or dirt; the RV park rules are to include advice on location of nearby dump points, wash-down facilities and car washes; and grey water collection tanks must be disposed of off-site and any user without a grey-water collection tank must collect grey water into containers which must be emptied onto screen plantings.
Probably the biggest victory was the prohibition on dogs and generators which will make the RV park much quieter and safer. Allowing dogs would have made it unlikely that oystercatchers would ever breed at the local beach again.
This was a very good outcome for the local community and shows what we can achieve together if the proponent is keen to mediate. If you and your community are facing undesirable developments, the Planning Appeal Tribunal exists for you, and the TCT is here to assist.
In July 2020 the TCT and numerous local residents raised concerns about the unusual polo field, club house, vineyard and cellar door development also at Koonya. Unusually, after receiving representations the council has put its decision on hold while it waits for additional information from the proponent. We have not been told what the additional information is. The polo field and club house components have the potential to ruin the peace of a quiet rural-residential area. While a vineyard is to be established and a cellar door shop opened, it is unusual that there was no mention of any wine production on the property or elsewhere. We are hopeful that the council will refuse the development, at least the club house and cellar door, on the grounds that it is not an authentic agricultural development and has unacceptable amenity impacts.
The Stormlea Road tourism development is proposed for a prime location at the end of the road that provides access to the Cape Raoul Track. Although the proposal seems to have the potential to have heavy impacts on the amenity of neighbouring residents and their agricultural activities, it was supported by council without further conditions and little debate. The proposal seems to include many of the problems that have held up the Koonya polo proposal but this one has not caught the eye of the council. The decision was not appealed.
The TCT has continued to assist the Re-Imagine the End (RITE) group which is fighting to stop an approved golf course from proceeding on the beautiful Arm End Reserve at Opossum Bay. It was first approved by Clarence Council in 2013 but no work has taken place. Through our combined pestering over two years, we succeeded in getting the Parks and Wildlife Service to order the lease holder last summer to start controlling the boxthorn that had been spreading uncontrolled since the lease was issued in 2014.
Four times over the last year the proponent had claimed the development was about to proceed and each time the deadline passed with no work. They made these claims in prominent articles in the Mercury and a local community newsletter, probably hoping it would attract long sought-after investment. The TCT and RITE combined to extract information from the council and PWS that showed that all but one permit condition remained unaddressed. Since this information was publicised the proponent has ceased the false claims.
The Rosny Hill tourism development was appealed by the Rosny Hill Friends Network. The TCT has joined the appeal but our main involvement has been to provide moral support and assistance with fundraising for the considerable cost of running a planning appeal.