Council pushes for Battery Point stay exemption

HOBART City Council will ask the State Government to delay allowing self-contained visitor accommodation in Battery Point, arguing it could seriously alter the fabric of the historic suburb.

Short-stay operators such as Airbnb will be able to oper- ate in Battery Point’s residential-zoned areas under a new single statewide planning scheme from July 1. The suburb would lose its exemption under a proposed Interim Planning Directive from Planning Minister Peter Gutwein.

The Battery Point Planning Scheme in 1979 banned such accommodation use.

Hobart aldermen voted at a council meeting last night to seek a delay for the new planning rules to apply in the area until it was better known what impact allowing Airbnb and other new visitor accommodation would have on the suburb.

It was part of an amendment lodged by Alderman Helen Burnet to the original motion — that Lord Mayor Sue Hickey write to Mr Gutwein and ask for the Battery Point Heritage Area to be exempt from the directive.

“I have major concerns with this [the new directive],” Ald Burnet said.

Ald Hickey voted against the motion, arguing Battery Point would get luxuries other Hobart suburbs would not have.

The concerns were first raised in a council committee meeting last week, prompting Mr Gutwein to declare the Government had to ensure planning rules were fair across the state.

Ald Damon Thomas said the directive was the first ex- ample of the kind of power ministers could wield over councils as part of new ministerial directives under proposed changes to the Local Government Act.

Ald Eva Ruzicka said allowing self-contained visitor accommodation in Battery Point would hollow out the community.