Cable car documents released

THE proponent of the kunanyi/Mt Wellington cable car pressed the Government to provide a way forward for the project or risk “significant momentum being lost”, documents reveal.

Correspondence between State Growth Minister Matthew Groom’s office and the Mt Wellington Cableway Company has been released following a Right To Information request by the Greens.

An email sent on March 4 last year to the minister’s office by company secretary Christian Rainey sought an “urgent update” on what the Government was doing with regards to the project.

“There is currently significant momentum being lost on the project,” the email stated.

“There is a concern regarding the investment window narrowing, and contractors and stakeholders alike, potentially losing belief that this project will ever happen,” the email said.

The Government confirmed five months later the cable car would be assessed as a project of state significance.

The project of state significance process was welcomed by the proponent as a clear path forward for the cable car. But six months later the process was set aside in favour of legislation to allow the Government to acquire land on the mountain to help the project proceed to development application stage.

The proponent said it was happy with the new approach, which will require a cable car to go through the normal planning process.

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said the RTI documents confirmed close contact between the proponent, the minister and Department of State Growth.

“The result of this close contact is the Liberals’ proposed legislation to allow for the compulsory acquisition of the pinnacle zone to enable a large private development on the mountain,” she said.

The land acquisition legislation is due to be tabled in this sitting of Parliament.