The wheels are officially in motion for a 242-hectare $450-million development near Evandale.
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On Wednesday, developers Traders in Purple made a request to the Northern Midlands Council to have the Ridgeside Lane site considered as an urban growth area.
The request was made to change Northern Tasmania Regional Land Use Strategy to progress the Ridgeside Lane sustainable housing and tourism proposal.
The company’s principal Charlie Daoud said this was one of the project’s first official steps, with actual works at the site still a long way off.
“[The council] have to do their own community consultation and get feedback from the community,” he said.
“They also have to write to neighbouring councils as well and seek their recommendations and comments on the particular project. Then it goes back to a council vote and then it will go to a committee who also have to give their recommendation as well.”
From there, the proposal will then comeback to the council and then the developers have to apply for a land rezoning.
“We’re still quite a while a way from doing that. It will be at least four, five, or six months,” he said.
“We don’t expect the council to exhibit [the plans] until late January early February because they have to have time to review the report themselves and ask for any extra information.”
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The submission includes details on the 600-lot proposal, an economic impact analysis, a utilities and agricultural assessment, a road capacities assessment and an aboriginal and historical assessment.
Mr Daoud said there is a chance the development could get voted down.
“We have to look at the reasons as to why it was voted down if that’s the case, and possibly modify accordingly,” he said.
“However, all indications to date from the business community and the Northern Tasmanian Population Growth Strategy have all said it's the right thing to do.”
Plans for the site were announced in May.
Trader’s in Purple chief executive Brett Robinson said the Ridgeside Lane proposal would provide significant economic and employment benefits to the region, as well as assisting Tasmania to meet the state’s growth objectives in Tasmania’s Population Growth Strategy.
“The concept Masterplan, prepared by Launceston’s Lange Design, is based on extensive community consultation undertaken in May 2018,” he said.
“We have incorporated many ideas from the community consultation, including diversity in the housing product to be offered to allow for first home buyers and younger families to be able to afford and enjoy living in the new community.”
Mr Robinson said direct onsite construction jobs would be about 150 per year for the 15-year development.