Mike Dean with his Craggy Ridge proposed Development.
A FRUSTRATED Northern developer says planning reform deadlock has forced him to push ahead with a project after losing two years waiting for a new planning scheme.
The impasse between the West Tamar Council and the state government over the council's scheme saw Mike Dean lodge an application for his $100 million Craggy Ridge eco-tourism project yesterday.
He said he was sick of waiting for the new scheme, which would have allowed him to mix residential housing with the tourism development.
He said he spent $100,000 removing the residential component to make it solely about tourism.
Despite being positive about the project and its potential for the North, he said he'd been bruised by the experience.
"It's been a very hard two years for me, it's cost me a lot of money - I'm up to $4 million now - but I think somebody just has to give it a go," he said.
"If you can't get something up in a reasonable time frame, with reasonable certainty, especially utilising our natural resources what hope have we got?"
If approved by the council the revised Craggy Ridge will see about 95 holiday cabins and lodges on 56 hectares on land overlooking the Tamar River near Grindelwald.
"The ethos behind Craggy Ridge is to create a world-class eco- tourism development, sustainable and in sync with its beautiful surroundings," he said.
West Tamar's proposed interim scheme had included special provisions for the Craggy Ridge development. However, the Tasmanian Planning Commission, which is advising the government, said the extra dwellings at Craggy Ridge were not needed to meet West Tamar's 2030 housing stock target.
