Huntingfield Land Supply Order

It’s always tricky when you are faced with the question, do the means justify the ends? As a new representative for the Kingborough community, I was faced with that question recently in relation to the rezoning of the Huntingfield land.

Before entering politics, I worked in the community services sector. In that work I stood alongside and fought for vulnerable people in our state across a whole range of social issues, including affordable housing.

I am a passionate advocate for more housing development in our state, and I want to see an excellent housing development on the Huntingfield site, including a mix of public, social and affordable housing. The question for me was: could we have delivered that potential through the usual rezoning process in our planning system, rather than a fast-track process?

At a public meeting in July, attended by over 300 people, and in over 100 emails I received since, I heard a lot of concern from the community about the rezoning process for Huntingfield, particularly about a lack of consultation. All were calling for the usual rezoning process be followed.

Having considered it carefully, I believed that this was a reasonable request to make. And on that basis, I moved a disallowance motion on the Housing Supply Order (Huntingfield) when it came to the upper house last week. Not because I am opposed to a housing development on that site, but because in my view the wrong process was used and that has caused unnecessary concern and distress in the community.

Under the fast-tracked process, the State Government rather than a local council, initiates an amendment to the planning scheme. The intention is to save an average of six months by having shorter and more limited public consultation and no final approval from the Tasmanian Planning Commission.

I support having the fast-tracked mechanism and using it where appropriate. It has been used four times without controversy on parcels of land in well-developed urban and suburban areas with a combined total of 6.7 hectares of housing development.

The Huntingfield site is much larger; it has 34 hectares of housing development. It has the complexity of a whole suburb development rather than a small parcel of surplus land, and it proposes quite a different density of development compared to the local area.

I believe that given its size, complexity, and questions around infrastructure, it would have been more appropriate to use the regular rezoning process. I’m not convinced that saving a possible six months outweighs the need to appropriately consult with and involve the local community.

And while my disallowance motion was not successful, I think it is important that we always question whether appropriate process is being followed, allow the community to have a say and hold the Government to account.

The next step is finalising a Masterplan for Huntingfield. Please look for ways you can get involved, because with the community’s help we still have an exciting opportunity to create a neighbourhood in Huntingfield that we can all take pride in.

Meg Webb | Kingsborough Chronicle | September 24, 2019