Height limit row heats up

TENSIONS have risen during a fiery email exchange after a majority of Hobart City aldermen attempted to have the height limit plebiscite postponed to deal with the homelessness crisis.

Hobart Not Highrise president Brian Corr has been accused of scaremongering and bullying but hit back by labelling one alderman unprofessional for getting personal.

The exchange, seen by the Mercury, took place at the weekend after seven elected members penned an open letter to Mr Corr urging him to delay the elector poll on height limits.

They said delaying the vote would free up $200,000 for the council to increase its options in providing solutions to assist those sleeping rough in the city.

Alderman Marti Zucco said he was appalled at what he believed was Mr Corr’s attempt to promote his “singular interest” rather than the “real needs of the city”.

“I am really tired of those like yourself who have lived here for five minutes and believe you have a right to push idealism to those that have lived here for years,” Ald Zucco wrote.

“I have lived in Hobart for 43 years and 27 of those years I have been on the Hobart City Council. In that time I am as yet to see one highrise as you refer to that is a blot on the city.”

Ald Simon Behrakis wrote that Mr Corr was forcing the council into a situation where they would be “forced into burning thousands of dollars on a non-binding, non-compulsory plebiscite”.

Mr Corr said they had never threatened anyone.