Launceston councillors divided over demolishing Rocherlea house

The City of Launceston council purchased 126-128 Russells Plains Road in 1997, and it was earmarked as a future landfill site to replace the current facility off Remount Road.

Originally a farm, the property comprises 862 hectares of agricultural land with two houses on it.

The council leased these to tenants, and planned to do so until the time came to convert the property to a landfill.

Council documents said residents had to deal with trespassers, wood hookers, illegal dumping and theft, which officers said made it a "difficult property on which to reside".

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One tenant left the property in 2022, telling the council they were in "constant fear".

"I don't believe anyone in council have any real idea what's happening on the property," they said.

"Has to be seen to be believed lol. It's just constant fear of being robbed and having cars or belongings taken.

"There is no presence of council and/or police to stop this sort of thing happening ... Pity as it is a nice spot up there."

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The vacant house was destroyed in an arson attack in June 2022, and the remaining one is set to be demolished after a council vote on September 21.

Deputy mayor Hugh McKenzie said taking the house off the market and demolishing it was a hard decision to support, but repairing it would be "putting good money after bad".

"It isn't a safe place for people to reside," Cr McKenzie said.

"Yes, we could spend money and refurbish the house. My sense is that would probably be putting good money after bad based on the history of the property.

"It's very sad to say that because property should be respected by everybody in the community. Unfortunately, it's not."

Councillor Danny Gibson also spoke in favour of demolishing the house, and said the situation was sad, but the result of a "small minority" of badly-behaved people.

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Council officers estimated it would cost about $300,000 to make the remaining house habitable, while demolishing it would cost about $47,000.

Councillor Tim Walker spoke against demolishing the house, saying the property had become uninhabitable because the council neglected its duties, and demolishing it would not fix the underlying problem.

"There are hundreds of rural properties around Launceston right now that are not in that particular state," Cr Walker said.

"Don't tell me that just because the council owns the land somehow it's harder to manage than any other rural property around Launceston. It's not."

Cr Walker found some support around the table, with councillor Andrew Palmer saying the council should "continue to do our damnedest" to restore the property and councillor Joe Pentridge saying it should remain a home.

A motion approving the demolition of the house passed 7-5, with councillors Susie Cai, George Razay, Andrew Palmer, Joe Pentridge and Tim Walker voting against.

With the building's fate settled, discussion turned to the land's future use.

Although the property was destined to become a landfill, council documents suggest that it is now unlikely as the lifespan of the Remount Road facility has been extended to 2050.

This coincides with the council's planned transition away from landfill.

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Alternative uses for the land included an industrial estate, recreation ground and potentially some residential land, however the extent of this is limited by the need for buffer zones with the landfill.

The council was far more united in discussing the land's future, with Cr Walker urging his colleagues to make use of the opportunity they had been given.

"What I would like to see in this particular area is a development ... that is planned better than anything that we've ever done before," he said.

A motion "prioritising" a decision on whether the site should be a landfill, and commissioning a land use study passed unanimously.

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