Mount Wellington cable car project derailed as company instructed to halt preliminary works
Updated
The company seeking to build a cable car to the top of Mount Wellington has been told to stop all preliminary work and remove equipment by midday, with the Tasmanian Government announcing they are considering revoking the company's works authority because the project appears to have changed.
The Mount Wellington Cable Car Company (MWCC) was granted permission to start drilling and surveying on the mountain behind Hobart — which is also known by its Aboriginal name kunanyi — just days before the March state election, which was won by the Liberals.
MWCC had been expecting to start works this month or the next on the project, which has been hotly debated by the local community.
The company does not require permission to survey in Wellington Park and has been doing so over the past week.
But the Wellington Park Management Trust said the surveyors left tape and equipment on the fire trail near Old Farm Rd, which is prohibited.
The company has been told to pack up from the site, which is understood to be the company's new preferred location for the cable car base terminal.
But the site of preliminary works appears to have upset Minister for State Growth Peter Gutwein, who granted the authority when the base terminal was proposed to be the Cascade Brewery, which is owned by Carlton and United Breweries.
"Whilst I understand that the works are very minor — some surveyors' pegs and surveyors' tape — the company is yet to satisfy the requirements of the authority that I issued them, in relation to gaining an approved safety management plan," Mr Gutwein told Parliament today.
"They don't hold a permit for this type of works under the Trust.
"Further, as the project now appears to be different to that which I considered when granting the authority under the Cable Car Facilitation Act, I have requested advice as to whether the authority I granted needs to be reconsidered, modified or rescinded."
Mr Gutwein said there was a proper process that needs to be observed.
"There are rules to follow and we expect that those rules will be followed to the letter," he said.
The minister said he expected to have advice in coming days about whether he needed to revoke the authority.
MWCC did not comment on whether it was breaching its authority or Trust rules with its recent surveying.
On April 24, the company said it had not commenced any site investigations requiring the use of the authority, because it had been delayed by the State Government seeking further information to each task.
Topics: lifestyle-and-leisure, travel-and-tourism, environmental-impact, environment, occupational-health-and-safety, south-hobart-7004
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