Teeing off on vision for Arm End
If permits for a golf course at Opossum Bay lapse, our group is ready to step in with an alternative plan, says Robyn McNicol
THE golf course proposed for Arm End Reserve ( Gellibrand Point Nature Recreation Area) at Opossum Bay was first given planning approval by the Clarence City Council in April 2013 but the proponent has not started the development after more than seven years. The pipeline which is proposed to take treated effluent to the golf course was approved in April 2019 and it also has not started.
The Clarence City Council has advised us on September 8, 2020 that the golf course planning permit is valid until April 1, 2022. The permit cannot be extended beyond that point and if the project has not been substantially commenced the permit will lapse. In anticipation of the permit lapsing, RITE has launched a vision for an alternative to the golf course – more on that later.
Over the past year the proponent has repeatedly announced the imminent commencement of the golf course and pipeline only to have the deadlines pass with no work occurring.
The council permit for the golf course has been extended twice and a long list of permit conditions are yet to be delivered on by the proponent. Additional permits are required from the EPA to irrigate with treated water and from the Australian government and parks and Wildlife Service regarding the rare and unique spotted handfish. The community is right to question why the proponent keeps making promises that work will occur when council and other regulators tell us they do not have approval to proceed with construction.
In the May 2019 edition of the South Arm Peninsula Residents Association newsletter, the proponent said the pipeline would start in three to four months but nothing happened.
In the Mercury on August 3, 2019 they said a start would occur Arm End in three to four months but November came and went and no construction occurred.
In the October- November 2019 edition of the SAPRA newsletter, they said construction at Arm End would start in three to four months, meaning December 2019 to January 2020. They have put up what they say is a site office but no golf course construction has occurred.
In a February 14, 2020, Mercury article the proponent said pipeline works would start in five weeks.
On August 31 the proponent told the Mercury the water pipeline ( which includes a section that goes under the river bed in Halfmoon Bay) would commence in November. But they won’t be able to do test drilling until then because of the permit requirement to avoid the spotted handfish breeding season. If the tests find the rock type is inappropriate for constructing a pipeline then it cannot be built.
We believe these claims of imminent construction are attempts to convince investors to come on board and to win over the local community.
It is unlikely that work will start any time soon on either the golf course or the pipeline because there are numerous additional approvals that have not been obtained.
Approvals not yet obtained are as follows.
The council planning permit for the golf course requires the proponent to produce numerous management plans and have them approved. On April 21, 2020 Council said that only the weed management plan has been approved. Not approved are: engineering designs; erosion and sediment control plan; landscape plan plus a bond; and an environmental management program.
The Council planning permit for the pipeline requires the proponent to produce numerous management plans which as of April 2, 2020 were not completed.
The Parks and Wildlife Service confirmed on July 23 they had not given approval for test drilling in Halfmoon Bay.
We understand Australian government approval regarding impacts on spotted handfish is also required before construction can begin on the golf course and treated effluent pipeline.
Before the treated effluent can be used at Arm End approval is required from the Environment Protection Authority.
A conflict exists, which has not been resolved, where the golf course permit requires that public access to Arm End Reserve be maintained at all times but the
EPA requires the public be excluded from the reserve during and after irrigation using treated effluent.
I don’t think this development will ever gain all required approvals and investment seems unlikely given the project’s history.
If the golf course permit lapses on April 1, 2022, then RITE wants to be ready to propose an alternative to the golf course.
On August 30, 2020, RITE launched its vision for Arm End Reserve. Thirty mainly locals attended to view and discuss nine project posters with digital images showing the alternative vision. This includes low- scale infrastructure improvements, a concentration of interventions at the track head such as picnic shelter and interpretation elements and rehabilitation to enhance the passive recreational experience and to enhance the Arm Ends’s wildness and remoteness, while improving protection of Arm End’s natural and cultural values. This vision is an alternative to golf.
The concept plans and digital images have been produced to incorporate ideas from numerous locals and other users of Arm End, heritage and conservation experts and architects who have been consulted over the past two years. We are continuing to hold a series of small meetings across Clarence and Hobart to build support and obtain feedback. The community can view the Arm End Vision at https:// www. rite. org. au/ vision
IN ANTICIPATION OF THE PERMIT LAPSING, RE- IMAGINE THE END HAS LAUNCHED A VISION FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE GOLF COURSE