A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

PROPOSED UNIVERSITY MOVE FROM NEWNHAM TO INVERESK

I listened to our Launceston Mayor recently speaking on local community radio reporting on progress of projects for 2016. He mentioned the university move – saying that he has not personally heard any negative feedback and that he thinks it has mostly been accepted by the public. Referring back to the only public presentation of the proposal at the Albert Hall last year there is yet to be anything more tangible put forward other than an artistic 3D video presentation, some thought bubbles and a PowerPoint presentation.

Despite the enthusiasm from the MoU signatory group, who very well may have agendas that are not contained in the proposal, I personally am not at all convinced that enough serious thought has gone into the ‘proposal’. There is too much about it that is very short term and despite the stated claims that it will ‘change the face of Launceston for 100 years in a positive way’ the downside to moving to Inveresk has many detractions. For example gifting of land to the University by Launceston City Council when they already own land at the Newnham campus, lack of space at Inveresk to expand unless one of the plans is to bulldoze for extra space. The siting and appearance of the student accommodation units at the river edge at Inveresk seems very inappropriate.

Other negatives for the move are that there will be downsizing or minimising of uni courses and major disruption to Newnham and Inveresk that will even in the short term be very expensive for Launceston ratepayers who are already paying for some costly ill conceived past projects. Understandably there is a rush to complete the proposal to apply for funding in the coming Federal election year but that is not enough reason for the move either.

I live and work in Invermay/Inveresk; have attended both Newnham and Inveresk campuses so my observations of the areas come from a pragmatic community viewpoint. I suspect that none of the enthusiastic proponents of the proposal live or drive anywhere near either site.

Dr. Edna Broad ... Invermay 

Editors Note: It is interesting to note that early on in November (the 12th?) members of the 'concerned citizens network'  attended a Council Strategic Planning meeting and made a presentation to the Mayor and Aldermen. A copy of the petition now circulating in the Launceston community was handed to the Mayor and the aldermen in attendance. In fact the Mayor was amongst the first people to see and receive the petition and the case for it.

So if Dr. Broad's memory serves her well, the Mayor's memory seems to be either poor or perhaps selective.

Also, today Launcestonians are witness to the fragility of Invermay's and Inveresk's sewerage and storm water infrastructure. 

It is well known that in that area's storm water and sewerage shares the same infrastructure and that the area in large part is below sea level.

Right now this is  showing itself to be a problem with raw sewerage overflowing along with the storm water and the health risks come from that. Given Launceston's history all this should be understood as an obvious risk.

The question that needs to be asked is, has this and the cost of upgrading the infrastructure been factored into the MoU that has been struck for the purpose of moving UTas to Inveresk? 

Likewise, has anyone at Council crunched the numbers in regard to the infrastructure implications of a development at Inveresk designed to bring an additional 10,000 people on site?

AND there are more questions flowing from these.