Call for cable car detail

A GROUP opposed to the proposed Launceston Skyway cable car for the Cataract Gorge has demanded a full independent Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA).

Hands Off Our Gorge spokeswoman Jo Saunders was concerned about an advertorial placed in the Sunday Examiner by the developers, the Larter Group, who also operate the existing Gorge chairlift.

She said the images provided by Larter Group did not show the full visual impact of the $20 million cableway, which will include a cable gondola circuit that would travel more than 2km around the Gorge.

“It is important to show the proximity and intrusiveness of cable cars in the vicinity where people hang out,” she said. “From … the developers’ image and website information, it is clear that the cable cars will pass over the Hogs Rock area, the Alexandra suspension bridge and very close to the corner of the swimming pool.”

She said the images provided so far by the Larter Group were conceptual, and far more information was required to determine the full impact the gondolas might have on the landmark.

“There is an expectation that an independent LVIA would be done but currently there is no evidence of this,” she said. “For a substantial development proposed for an iconic public space, widely acknowledged as having high state and national significance, people are entitled to expect more than a few concept photos.”

Spokeswoman for the Larter Group, Sam Lees, did not address the issue of the LVIA but said the key purpose of the article in the Sunday Examiner was to address misinformation being spread about the Launceston Skyway proposal.

“We do not intend to detract from the Gorge but simply make it more accessible to people of all ages and abilities as well as families and groups … with minimal impact to the environment,” she said.

David Larter, general manager of the Gorge Scenic Chairlift, said in June they were “nowhere near lodging a [development application]” with Launceston City Council.