More information will be sought by the Tasmanian Planning Commission before a directions hearing will be held about a controversial East Coast development.
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On Friday, about 100 people attended a public hearing at Swansea over a site area plan for the Cambria Green Estate.
More than 600 submissions were received about the proposal.
Committee chairwoman Ann Cunningham said the committee would take some of those submissions into consideration when handing down the direction.
“If they are relevant to what we can consider, then we will consider them,” she said. “We’ve also identified a number of issues.”
The panel’s issues were the agricultural zoning, the power and coastal policies, heritage provisions, water and sewerage.
Ms Cunningham asked the applicant, Ronald Hu, for clarification and gave a deadline of February 1 to provide the information.
The panel said they had not received an economic impact study for the proposal, which would also be helpful in assessing the affect the development would have the Swansea community. They also requested more information about the proposal.
“There are a lot of issues that have been raised that we wouldn’t be able to address because they relate to the development,” she said.
The issues will be discussed at the hearing before Easter.
A number of concerned residents spoke at the hearing, often receiving a round of applause from the full room.
Ms Cunningham suggested those members of the public who raised their concerns should get expert advice and opinions and make a submission to the hearing before March 1.
“We can only go on the information received at the hearing,” she said.
Residents disagreed.
“Why should we have to commission third parties when the proponent hasn’t,” one resident said.
“Their experts can’t be considered experts because they’re being paid by the proponents,” said another.
But Ms Cunningham said experts would be expected to give independent opinions.
“That is the role of any expert – to give independence,” she said.
Ms Cunningham said the residents did have a representative – the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council. However, this response received the loudest laugh of the day.
A spokeswoman for the East Coast Alliance group said the group had engaged a number of experts.
The council’s development and compliance manager Shane Wells attended as did developer and Irene Inc Planning and Urban Design’s senior planner Jen Welch who is working on the project.
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