More Practical Problems

Natural Assets Codes

In previous posts we have displayed images of the Rosny Hill Nature Recreation Area and discussed proposals for tourist development there.

We mentioned biodiversity and threatened species. These should be protected and indeed, according to Clarence City Council, the Hill is classified as a Biodiversity Protection Area. This is shown in the following extract of a letter to our Network from Council:

Extract from a letter to Rosny Hill Friends Network from CCC

We think that it is a practical problem that such classification exists, but the necessary infrastructure for  102 room accommodations, conference centre, swimming pool, restaurant, car parking, service facilities and infrastructure to provide all of these  are even THOUGHT to be compatible with a high risk Biodiversity Protection Area.

Rosny Rocks

Well, the residents think that. But the residents have frequent encounters with Rosny Rocks - aka  - the rocks of Rosny.

A small gardening project can lead to gouging out a great number:

Herb garden edge was dug up

Last year, an explosives specialist was required in Bastick Street for more than 2 days in order to put in one small domestic driveway. What is in store for residents during construction?

Rosny Quarry shows what the Hill is made of

So.... if planning approval is given: are we in for:

1. Loss of biodiversity
2. Loss of access for recreation
3. Loss of amenity and a peaceful environment during construction and if it becomes operational
4. Loss of privacy by being overlooked by a major development
5. Increased traffic hazards in the Rosny area, which is used not just by residents but many who use the excellent schools and other community facilities.

Traffic - a practical problem

Principle and Practical, Problems Abound.

Previously we have mentioned our objection to the principle of taking over public places for private profit.
If the whole of the Rosny Hill Nature Recreation Area is leased by Clarence Council for, say, 99 years and those who lease it do not please ratepayers in their use of this land, do ratepayers have any way of disagreeing? Can rate payers vote out the lessee? Obviously not.
Negotiating the lease terms and conditions was mentioned in Clarence City Council's September quarterly report, without details.

Traffic, a Practical Concern.

Rosny and Montagu Bay are quiet suburbs but with several community facilities: Clarence Pool, Clarence Sports Stadium, Montagu Bay Primary School, Rosny Childcare, Rosny College, Rosny RSL, Rosny Tennis Club. These generate their own share of traffic. Riawena Road and Bastick Street, in particular, are affected. The T junction of these two streets can be quite tricky to negotiate. At the moment, there would generally be fewer than ten vehicles on the Rosny lookout in any given half hour. How that situation would change if a 'resort' was built on the hill.

Many inexperienced drivers from Rosny College need to negotiate the Bastick St T junction

Here is the result at a peak time:

Patience is obviously a virtue

And so the members of the Rosny Hill Friends Network continue to wait patiently.....

More from the Hill Development Archives

As related in our previous entry...

we have to rely on what was published in 2015, about possible Rosny Hill development. Clarence Council keeps saying 'as Council has not received a development application, there is, as yet, nothing to discuss.'

The lower 2  images are not development applications, but from 2015 concept plans.

Here is the proposed location

The suggested project from Road Level : ie Public Bit

The suggested project wandering down and into Rosny Hill -
ie the private bit

This has been presented as an 'improvement' for Rosny Hill. It is the sort of improvement obtained in your living room when you kill a fly with a cricket bat rather than a fly swatter.

It raises huge ethical concerns: 

• that of public land being disposed of in order to generate private profit 
• that of air purifying vegetation being replaced by building materials

These concerns are not just Clarence Council concerns, but are inherent in the new state planning provisions.

There are links to planning issues on the Tasmanian Planning Information Network Links Page

H

What we know about hill development proposals.

At the moment it is difficult to determine the exact situation.

Some details can be verified by examining Clarence City Council's quarterly reports.

From the CCC September quarterly report

No application received - December

In response to letters from the RHFN, Clarence Council has expressed the view that as no development application has been received, there are currently no issues to discuss.

Look up 'Rosny Hill Development' on the CCC homepage and you will be taken here:

              What Council is publishing

It reads well - keeping ratepayers informed. The first download is fine but when you try to access the two documents at the bottom of the page it is a different story today.

👀









                                                              🙈



There are some  details  in the Hobart Mercury archives. Fortunately the Rosny Hill Fiends Network has some images from when the Hunter Developments proposal was in the Public Domain.

This image is from Hunter Developments November 2015 proposal

Zooming in on the Public Space.

This space is actually the roof of the hotel. It will be more even underfoot than the current carpark, but just as windy in spring, when the northerlies blow.

Rosny Hill Friends Network view...

is that this development is too big for Rosny Hill. Modest development would enhance the hill views and protect its ecosystem.

The problem is...

that once a development application is received, the time to respond may be quite short. 

With Tasmania's planning scheme currently undergoing change, we cannot be sure of the precise scheme under which a development proposal would be assessed.

This is not just a concern in Rosny - Montagu Bay, but statewide.

The homepage if the Tasmanian Planning Information Network can be found by clicking this link.

You will find images posted by groups from all around Tasmania.

What will become of Rosny Hill?

How big can  should development be?

Ideas from the Rosny Hill Nature Recreation Area Management Strategy

This comprehensive document was launched in 2011. You can access the whole thing by clicking
 this link

Map 1 - suggested development from page 35 of that plan is reproduced below:

The grey areas for suggested development are quite modest.

And then in 2014...

the whole 21 hectares of the reserve turned up in a real estate ad

Expressions of interest were invited from developers by the 4th of June 2014. This was stage 1 of the possible project. These were to be assessed by the following weighted criteria:

1. Nature Recreation Area and planning scheme alignment      (30%)
2. Enhancement of public use of the site                                    (20%)
3. Economic benefits                                                                   (15%)
4. Design Standard                                                                      (10%)
5. Proponent capability                                                                (25%)

A Preferred Developer was accepted by Clarence City Council

Half of the weighting should have been focussed on public use of the area

Map 2 - a proposal  which was put forward in April 2015

Somewhat larger than the Management Strategy suggestion in Map 1

The grey rectangles are accommodation "pods", 120 in all.

A Public Meeting Was Held

It must be acknowledged that this was a useful activity by the preferred developer although a cynic would say that this was just taking a gamble. Many people spoke at the meeting but no summary of the views expressed was taken.

The Hobart Mercury reported on this meeting. This link, Mercury report of May 2015 meeting, complete with a design flyover video, is short but interesting.

A later Clarence City Council Report summarised the results of 38 written responses about the possible development:

• Traffic Concern                                              57%
• Inappropriate Scale / Design                          52%
• Impact on vegetation / wildlife                      34%
• Limiting Public Access                                  33%
• Noise / light disturbances                               26%
• Loss of privacy                                               24%
• General support                                               24%

Changes Were Made

And by November 2015... there was a new plan

Fewer Pods, but a whole extra floor cut into the hillside

😱  Just because we can, does not mean we should

But what would you find out now on Council's website?   To be continued....
















Where are we Now?

Views, views, views and...?

We know that Rosny Hill is not just all about the views. Unfortunately that is a commonly held opinion.

Who uses the Lookout?

Photographers delight in this site, which looks west to kunanyi / Mt Wellington and Hobart City and north to south along the Derwent Estuary. They do not usually stay to long as there are no facilities other than a small car park and signage.

A quick snap or two then off again

Views from the lookout in all directions. This amazed tourist that we spoke to has photographs from all over Europe.

Looking upriver - network member photo

Hobart Wharves network member photo

What Tourists Say

You can find some  opinions on Tripadvisor, along with more photographs

How will the beautiful lookout views impact on Rosny Hill?

They could possibly:

• be appreciated in comfort by the provision of moderate  facilities such as toilets and shelter sheds for day trippers
• be exploited as a selling point for a major tourist accommodation and conference facility, which would put a large footprint on the existing area and threaten many of the natural values. Rosny Hill is a Biodiversity Protection Area - High Risk

Rosny Hill Friends Network is not anti - development. Development needs to be of an appropriate scale for this urban island of regenerating forest.

Hidden Delights of Rosny Hill

If You Are Lucky...

and patient and observant and persistent and  able to scramble about a bit and you are able to take the time you may encounter some of  the hidden special features of Rosny Hill.  All of those 'ands' represent a lot of 'ifs'. That is where a network is valuable. People can pool their observations.

Birds

We have had verbal reports of the 40 Spotted Pardelote  (for more information click here )   We would love to receive photographic verification of this elusive bird on Rosny Hill
Of course, any other birds that visitors to our hill may have photographed would also be appreciated. You can email them to the Rosny Hill Friends Network: rosnyhillfriends210@gmail.com
Please include details about yourself and the photograph. We like to acknowledge our photographers but always respect the privacy of individuals. If you do not want your name on this blog, we will label the photograph as taken by a Network Member' or a 'Rosny Hill Visitor'.

Other Fauna

 Bandicoots  are found on Rosny Hill showing that there is plenty of food in this area.
Here is a more surprising shot, taken by of lucky Rosny Hill Friends Network member:

Wildlife near to home, and you don't need to buy 5 hectares to enjoy it

Endangered Plant Species.

Rosny Hill is home to the largest known population of the the endangered species of Sun Orchid, Thelymitra bracteata. These orchids are elusive as they emerge from underground only in the spring and then flower between mid October and mid November. They are named sun orchids because the flowers fully open on sunny days. So sunny days between mid October and  mid November provide the best  conditions for a population survey.
Population surveys were carried out in November 2016. One, on November 11th, was commissioned by Clarence Council.  It was carried out by a professional botanist. In this survey, a nationally listed endangered species, Dianella amoena, was also recorded.  For images click this link

The table below this posting is from this November survey
Our network has a Google earth image of the survey results. We have chosen not to publish it to protect these vulnerable orchids. Red lines have been drawn on the results by network members to show the extent of a hotel proposal from 2015. It impacts on the threatened species.

Two eminent Tasmanian botanists have expressed a desire to examine these orchids next spring. The orchids need to be protected.

The GPS coordinates have been obscured to help protect the orchids

To see a range of photographs of these orchids you can click : here

Vegetation and People

Vegetation and People

Let's start by being really practical. We lucky  Rosny residents have a hilltop air conditioning unit, one that is too valuable to interfere with in a major way. There is historical evidence that last century it was cleared and grazed. Not so good in a heatwave.  Melbourne weather is far more extreme than ours but this article on heatwaves talks a lot about community attitudes that could apply in many Australian Council areas, including our own:  Advantages of Leafy Suburbs

Humans have been living close to vegetation for for over a million years so it is no surprise that many express pleasure from leisure in nature. It is the central theme in Tasmania's clean green image. Wilderness is undoubtedly important, but so is urban greenery. It is a retreat from an increasingly wired world, where even our out of work hours are barely our own.

Rosny Hill is used for a wide range of activities: cycling,  jogging, walking, orienteering or just pausing to enjoy the relatively fresh air. So much more pleasant than getting  our healthy exercise on urban streets.  It does more than  build muscle strength; it boosts mood.

Rosny Hill Lichen shows that the air is relatively unpolluted.

Morning sunlight on a walking track.

😊😊

Valuing Vegetation

Can a value be put on vegetation, especially trees?

This question can be approached from a number of points of view. Timber harvesters have a view, climate scientists have a view, air quality investigators have a view, people who fear soil erosion have a view ...  and so on.

What view do you have?

Leave us a comment on our Facebook page please:  Rosny Hill Friends Network Facebook Page

Here is a link to an article about trees in Melbourne:
https://theconversation.com/loving-emails-show-theres-more-to-trees-than-ecosystem-services-37983

So the value of vegetation is a complex  and worldwide and it goes beyond the human species.

Habitat.

                                                                                   
                                                                                   

Even dead trees are a forest resource

Nesting opportunities for birds and mammals.
A carbon store in a world of increasingly turbulent climate.

















Australia is the only continent with black cockatoos. Our local variety is shown. Here's a link to all five types:  WWF on Black Cockatoos

We have a flock regularly visiting Rosny Hill.

The Natural Assets of Rosny Hill

The Natural Assets of Rosny Hill.

Rosny Hill is an island of green in an urban landscape. The variety of wildlife there demonstrates that it is a functioning ecological community.  The is  a  variety of plant types. These  plants purify the air and have the potential to buffer the Rosny area from much of the air pollution from the Tasman Highway.

Trees

Full range, trees of all sizes

Mature white gum

 These White Gums are home for many birds insects and mammals.

Another beautiful whitegum

Flowers

Everlasting daisies

Native wildflowers in spring

Any flowers uplift the  spirits