Swaying, sea-sprayed hotel?

DEVELOPMENT

ARCHITECT Professor Morris-Nunn AM has again shown us his talent in relation to a proposed floating hotel ( Sunday Tasmanian, December 3).

Those old enough to remember, and to have used the old floating bridge to cross the River Derwent, will recall that in a stiff sea breeze, not only would the bridge sway and cars be sprayed with salt water, but the concrete panels on the southern and only footpath side of the bridge would often be smashed out by the sea.

There were two rows of timber piles positioned from near the lift span at the western shore to a short distance from the bridge connection on the eastern shore, and these piles were supposed to break up and reduce the waves or swell.

Such were some of the problems during the life of that bridge.

I have witnessed a ship trying to berth at outer Macquarie Wharf (berths 4 to 6) in a stiff “southerly buster” and after a couple of failed tries, the master decided it could damage his ship or the wharf and took his ship to mid-stream where it stayed at anchor until the seas abated.

On such similar days, or even during a normal sea breeze, the position proposed for a floating hotel, may be questionable.

Isn’t it ironic

WHAT delicious irony here in river city as Charles Wooley calls it. Robert MorrisNunn floats his latest innovative idea of a floating hotel in Hobart. An idea that apparently originated with a member of the public. It is almost a year to the day that Professor Morris-Nunn, in association with Chinese petrochemical company Chambroad, the Hodgman Government and Clarence City Council, started a flawed process to redistribute public crown land and gain approval for the Kangaroo Bay Hotel and Hospitality Training Project.

The past 12 months have brought to public view the manipulation, deception and processes of that proposal and yet it is going ahead with minimal change and will destroy the small bay community heritage of that area.

The second irony being that Prof Morris-Nunn mentions his concerns about inappropriate developments by others in the Hobart skyscraper debate while seemingly clinging, with minimal change, to partnership with Chambroad in his own inappropriate Kangaroo Bay project. Maybe he has recognised the shortcomings of the Kangaroo Bay project and learnt something he can transfer to the politicians.

Extending the pain

NOTWITHSTANDING comments from opponents of the Kangaroo Bay development, there is another fact to consider. Clarence council’s mayor recently stated on radio that the developer will have 12 months to commence works once this development is approved. This is not entirely correct, because council is able to grant extensions of time to developers, at its discretion. A good example comprises the uncompleted works at the corner of Cambridge Rd and Clarence St. In this case, the developer’s works were approved in the middle of 2014, but have been subject to successive annual extensions since. Alarm bells should have been ringing ages ago, A new way to have your say themercury.com.au readers have a new way to have their say. It’s free to use, just register and have your say. For more details and to register, visit the website. and the council should have intervened. Instead, we have the appalling situation of unsightly, uncompleted works at the entrance to Bellerive village. Building rubble is scattered in the site and security fencing surrounds the uncompleted works. My understanding is that extensions were granted on the basis of the developer undertaking to continue these works to completion but, to date, there has been no evidence of any resumption of works. A further extension has been granted by council to the end of August 2018.

Cradle cable madness

A FEW important points for Tasmanians to mull over about the Disneylandesque Cradle Mountain cable car. Denali in Alaska is one of the most heavily visited national parks in the US, with 500,000 visitors a year, 300,000 of whom visit by shuttle bus, which is the only permitted means of access to Wonder Lake. No cable cars here, just sensible park management and an understanding that any other access regime would destroy the place.

The brazen support for this tacky Cradle Mountain proposal by Rebecca White illustrates just how foolish we are in this state. Given a waiting list of over 12 months for a colonoscopy at the Royal Hobart Hospital, I would have thought Labor may be more circumspect over its support for this idiotic proposal.

Cradle Mountain does not need a cable car or facelift, just sensible planning and an understanding that there are already too many people visiting this gem.

Nowt but money

HARD to believe we have so many closet Poms in Parliament. Support to the adage, “when nothing is happening and somebody is getting paid, there is a Pom close handy”.

Countdown

NEWSPOLL: 24 down, six to go.

Gaining ground

TURNBULL must have bought a burial plot in Sydney because that is the only way he would gain ground in the latest voting poll.

Lost and found

I NOTE Rene Hidding has his name embroidered on his jacket. Is that just in case he gets lost?

Citizens and donations

IF Australian politicians are not allowed to have dual nationality because of the possible conflict of interest, then it follows that foreign donations to Australian political parties are also anathema.