Aldermen fire up in cable car storm

THE proponents of a cable car on kunanyi/Mt Wellington say they have received access and permission from Carlton and United Breweries to prepare a development application for land near Cascade Brewery for the project.

It comes as Hobart aldermen last night said the council should prepare for legal action against the State Government if impending works on kunanyi/Mt Wellington to prepare a development application for a cable car damaged the mountain.

A Mount Wellington Cableway Company spokesman said it had received access and permission from CUB to sub- mit a development application at the brewery — where the planned cable car journey would begin.

One aldermen said the Government should freeze the authority it has granted the company for access until the council’s concerns were addressed.

At a full council meeting last night aldermen discussed the fallout from the decision by State Growth Minister Peter Gutwein to grant the MWCC authority to enter the site and conduct drilling and surveying work to prepare its development application for the $54 million proposal.

After a committee meeting earlier this month raised further concerns, Hobart aldermen agreed to ask staff to prepare a report addressing 10 questions the council had about the process.

But Ald Marti Zucco said: “We shouldn’t be wasting staff time on this, we should be writing directly to the Minister.

“If anything goes wrong on the mountain we need to have some legal basis to go after the State Government.”

Ald Damon Thomas said there was merit in writing to the Government.

“If this council is affected in some ways we are going to need indemnity and compensation by the State Government,” Ald Thomas said.

Ald Jeff Briscoe said the council should ask the Government to suspend works associated with the cable car.

“I suggest that the Government should freeze the permit condition until the questions are answered,” he said.

Hobart Lord Mayor Sue Hickey — who yesterday was sworn into State Parliament for the Liberal Party — excused herself from the debate.