Cable car hurdle removed

THE State Government has removed the final hurdle to the completion of a development application for the Mt Wellington cable car proposal.

Minister for State Growth Peter Gutwein has given the Mt Wellington Cableway Com- pany authority to access council land so it can carry out the final work it needs to complete a development application.

“The Government is supportive of a cable car,” Mr Gutwein said last night.

THE State Government has removed the final hurdle to the completion of a development application for the Mt Wellington cable car proposal.

Minister for State Growth Peter Gutwein yesterday announced he had given the Mt Wellington Cableway Company authority to access council land so it could carry out the final work it needs to complete an application to the Hobart City Council.

“Following receipt of a for- mal request from the company and my subsequent notification to the Hobart City Council, I have granted an authority permitting access to public land owned by the council that is located outside of Wellington Park to undertake site investigations for the purposes of preparing a planning application,” Mr Gutwein said.

“I am currently consulting with the Wellington Park Management Trust in relation to access to land that is within Wellington Park and antici- pate granting access to that land in the near future.

“The Government is supportive of a cable car for kunanyi/Mount Wellington and I look forward to a development application being lodged with council.”

Copies of the authority will not be made public, a spokesman for Mr Gutwein said.

In August last year, the previous Hobart City Council voted 7-4 to deny the company access to council land. That decision was rendered moot by Mr Gutwein’s announcement.

Mt Wellington Cableway Company executive chair Chris Oldfield said the main work that needed to be completed was some flora surveys on council land.

“We think it’s a positive step for the proposal because it helps us get our development application in a complete form,” he said.

“Hopefully we can lodge that soon. It’s not months away, it’s more likely weeks than months.

“I’m of the view that as people learn more about this pro- ject they will start to learn the benefit of it and the great care the design team have put in to make sure it’s an environmentally and socially responsible project. It’s time to get on with it and let the process run.”

He said the company had gone through a rigorous process to gain the Minister’s approval.

Residents Opposed to the Cable Car spokesman Ted Cutlan condemned the move.

“I’m not surprised at all,” he said. “The Government is committed to this project in the face of opposition to this project from the public. Any investor in the cable car needs to understand that there is huge opposition and the cable car won’t be built any time soon.”

Mr Cutlan said he would believe the long-promised development when he saw it.

“This is an application for a cable car over the Organ Pipes and a massive commercial development on top of the Organ Pipes, and I think once people realise the extent of this project I think opposition will only grow.”