Rosny Hill Friends Network Inc. Lodges DA

MEDIA RELEASE 

Rosny Hill Friends Network - new proposal for Rosny Hill reserve

23 August 2019

Today we have submitted a development application to the Clarence City Council

for our Re-imagining Rosny Hill Concept Master Plan.

We are concerned that the current tourism hotel development proposal would be too big and damaging for this small hill top which is reserved for nature, recreation and education. 

President Beth Rees said that the community is fed up with large, unsuitable proposals being put forward for Rosny Hill. 

“We’ve taken the positive step of preparing an alternative proposal that protects the natural environment, provides a beautiful lookout and refreshment for visitors, and supports recreation, health and wellbeing. Our proposal is financially responsible, has community support and, importantly, is consistent with the purpose of reservation of Rosny Hill under Tasmania’s Nature Conservation Act” said Ms Rees.

Beth Rees

President 

Rosny Hill Friends Network

Details of the Master Plan.

There you have it:  visual representations of what the Rosny Hill Friends Network Inc. consider to be appropriate development scale.
The group is fully aware, because we surveyed our community, that the major concerns with this Nature Recreation Area are anti social behaviour, mainly as cars doing burnouts, and littering. These  do not need a tourist hotel to prevent them. In 2011, In the RHNRA Management Strategy,  Council expressed its intention of exploring a boom gate. Since then the community has heard little more about this. Indeed the first bin was installed at the lookout only in 2018.

We must reproduce the concept plan as individual pictures, but if you are on our mailing list, contact us at                                                   rosnyhillfriends210@gmail.com            for more information.

The DA HAS BEEN LODGED

The General Manager of Clarence City Council gave Landowner Approval for the lodgement of the Hunter Developments DA this week. Community members got a quick glimpse of the the Concept on July 2 but no technical drawings were seen.

Council has 42 business days from the lodgement date to consider the application.

If they seek more information, the "clock is stopped" until the proponent provides it.

THOUGHT ABOUT WRITING A LETTER?

Here are some resources...

Letter of Concern regarding Rosny Hill Nature Recreation Area.

Dear Friends, 

Here is a copy of a letter sent to Clarence City Council. It is reproduced with the writer’s permission.

“After viewing the latest developer's proposal my concerns are:

- Development footprint is still much too big for Rosny Hill and not consistent with RHNRA Management Strategy. I can see large swathes of bush land/habitat lost to the buildings and massive car park.
And during construction on sloping terrain, even more bush/habitat will be lost.

-  Proposed restaurant is more than 3 metres above road level in lookout area.  This means current 180-degree panoramic view from public lookout road area will be lost.

- Despite assurances from the proponents last night,
I am yet to be convinced in future the general public will have the same access to enjoy the nature and views of the area. Over time what restrictions can the hotel owner impose?

- It is a concern to me that not only the proposed leased area will by managed by the hotel. From what I gather the whole RHNRA will be managed by the hotel with input from others like Greening Australia.
This rings alarm bells to me as I have no confidence the conservation values in the RHNRA will be respected based on what is proposed within the leased area.”

You could modify the above letter, or write one of your own 

What are your concerns?

You could consider some of these possibilities should the development be approved:  

·     Accessto the Nature Recreation Area once a hotel operator is in control

·     Buildingin a High Biodiversity Protection Area

·     Car parkand other construction will change water run off

·     Clearingof bushland  would be necessary to provide fire barrier for buildings

·     Destructionof threatened native orchids and other species

·     Excavationof hilltop rock for lower storey of the hotel

·     Lossof a peaceful green hilltop as the focus for local residents

·     Trafficincreases in the area

·     Vibrationsduring construction transmitted through bedrock to local properties

·     Your other concerns,which probably should come first

Letters to Council have far more impact if they are expressed in your own words.

For your information, the hotel still has 60 units and a dining room for 120 people.

There is also a proposed café. 

We urge you to send an email to the Clarence City Mayor, Alderman and General Manager. You can find the emails of the Aldermen here. https://www.ccc.tas.gov.au/your-council/how-council-works/aldermen/

Questions for 2019

Questions for 2019

       By the end of 2018, Rosny Hill Friends Network had compiled details of key  Clarence City Council documents which outlined the process involved in the proposal for a luxury hotel in the Rosny Hill Nature Recreation Area. These documents were retrieved from the Clarence City Council website and a hyperlinked list was produced for anyone to access if they wanted a copy from us, so that they could read the original documents for themselves. These hyperlinks no longer work. A new website is up and running at CCC. There is little of the history of the development proposal available.

                                 (Public domain; retrieved from Wikimedia Commons Jan.2019)

This is Janus, Roman God of transitions. Of reflecting and looking forward. January is named after him and January has been a time of looking back and looking forward at Rosny Hill Friends Network.

Looking back produced a number of questions:

Council received this advice in 2012: “Given the high margins in tourist accommodation, the scale of an accommodation facility can be kept relatively small (e.g. possibly 10-15 cabins).” 
        How did  this recommendation  translate  into  a  100-unit resort  proposal  complete with  swimming  pool and  conference  centre?

        Why  didn’t Council  undertake  any development  to  improve residential  amenity  such as  installing  a boom-gate  to  reduce cars  hooning  on the  hill  at night?

       Why did Clarence City Council, in the 2015  Interim  Planning Scheme,  zone  Rosny Hill  differently  from similar  hills  in other  City  of Clarence  villages. Natone  Hill, Lindisfarne; Gordon’s Hill, Rose Bay; Waverly Flora Park, Bellerive  and  Glebe Hill  Reserve  in the  new  Glebe Hill  subdivision.  These are  all  zoned Open  Space.  No hotels  allowed.  So why  Rosny Hill?

       Planning Schemes  and  Council Minutes  are  complex and  formal.  Can the  Council’s  actions of  the  last 9  years  be put  into  a more   everyday  style of  language?  

       Did  Council see  Rosny  Hill primarily  as  a cash  cow  to enhance  general  revenue rather  than  a priceless  community  resource to  be  developed for  residents  along the  lines  of Glebe  Hill  Reserve?

       Was  Rosny Hill zoned  with  community values  in  mind?

       Which  Actions listed in  the  Rosny Hill  Nature  Recreation Area  Management Strategy (non statutory) have actually been  completed?

       Has  the whole nine-year  process  wasted ratepayer  resources  that could  have  been directly  applied  to improving  the  Nature Recreation  Area?

       Had  our elected  representatives  of that time actually been trapped  in  a development  ‘filter  bubble?’ 

       Here we are in 2019 with a new council. Nine of these councillors have strongly expressed their commitment to community consultation before the 2018 election. Let us hope that this commitment becomes action.

       Another change is the impending Tasmanian Planning Scheme. Clarence City Council submitted  Draft Local Provision Schedules to the Planning Commission in 2018. Here is a relevant zoning map from that document.

Now it is interesting to note that under the Tasmanian Planning Scheme,  only caravan and camping is allowed in the Recreation Zone.

So what are the pressures?

Will the developers try to force through their DA while the 2015 interim planning scheme is still in operation?

Must those citizens who object to the 2018 proposal be poised to voice their objections at short notice?

What will be the future of Rosny Hill if a new planning scheme is in operation?

What is the best resource that it can be for the local community and Greater Hobart?

If you have your own vision for Rosny Hill Nature Recreation Area, please share it on our Facebook Page. Select Visitor posts. We encourage your input. Click below to have your say.


                                     Save Rosny Hill