CONTEXT Bureaucratically coming up against Launceston City Council can be a rather negative experience and it need not be. There was a time when people were proud to call themselves ‘public servants’ because they knew that were delivering services to the public.
In regard to ‘council planning matters’ and the lack of transparency it is all very interesting. So far as pecuniary interests go and the matters outlined in the following messages, they background not only the content of an email to aldermen/council, the whole issue of accountability comes into focus.
This all came to attention through several Speak Up Launceston chats some time ago.
How timely is it that Launceston’s Council comes under scrutiny
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XY Aug from A: “Thanks. LCC response was if owner and council address Section 13.0 in Planning Scheme no need for DA etc. I am just amazed by this. ................... Council has no concerns re discharge into Creek which goes directly into Tamar and adjacent to a breeding habitat!! ................... Sorry the more I am forced to deal with the Council the more I feel like moving. I’m about to ask them why they pruned my trees -yes were overhanging fence onto nature strip -but we have no footpaths and we all walk on the road when out and walking. LCC spent a week in street pruning trees from Council nature strips and did a good job then they used a excavator to clean out gutters and decided that an excavator would be a great way to prune several of my trees and that of my neighbours. ................... Typical LCC no indication of planned or current works on their works website and no letter boxing to say “hey we are in your area and will be working and might prune overhanging vegetation’. Even Aurora had curtsy to letterbox us to say please trip a tree under a powerlines and here is a list of approved tree trimers.
XU Aug from X to A. “You are not alone re needing to get rid of the grime after dealings with the Council. So many people are so disillusioned, to put it mildly. And who cares about the environment? The white gum die back is really serious, even blind Freddy can see that, not to mention loss of habitat. ................... How sad to see the Grey Goss hawk nest go. ................... I have a friend who is an ALP member and they have just set up a group called LEAN, something to do with the environment and [this person] is going to the first meeting of this new group in Canberra on Friday. ................... [They] asked if [this person] could have a chat about any enviro issues that I might think of. I have a couple, and I will add this one to the list - i.e the attitude and disregard of local govt planners to environment and habitat, and Gutwein's state planning scheme. ................... Apart from the effects on your property, if that development has house and property water running off into [xx] creek, that means storm water, fresh water. Is the creek salt water? What will be the enviro damage of increased water flow, especially in wet weather like this week. ................... So two points - no opportunity provided anywhere to have a say or any input; and what are the enviro effects. (Another planning - enviro matter for Wilderness Society and now LEAN). My poor friend, I already give [this person] a hard time about Ross Hart being conned and wishy-washy just to get pre-selection, because why else would a lawyer allow himself to be fooled. [This person] is opposed to the Utas move, and says so and her partner is particularly vocal about it. ................... And then there is still that matter of aldermen and/or council staff pecuniary interests and conflicts of interest. As we know there is currently no list of aldermen's pecuniary interests. At least one former alderman agreed there is probably a need for one. ................... Might be something for Launceston Concerned Citizens blog and the whole issue of governance. ................... X
16 Aug Hi, Just had to BCC you into that. I'm amazed that you can build a house and Council doesn't have to advertise or subject application to a DA. ................... Two other houses in same street had to do DA's. But not this one ?? I must link Wilderness Society in as this subdivision has disturbed soil and increased White Gum die back in this section. Not to mention the Grey Goss Hawk who lost her nest when tree chopped down. ................... More I have to deal with LCC the more showers I need !
X to D XS Aug 2017: This is shocking. People are being treated so shabbily. What to do? One just feels so helpless in the face of all of this. The Wilderness Society held public meetings a while back about the new state planning scheme and warning about this kind of thing. ................... Also, if less than three representations (ie only one or two or none) are made about a DA, it doesn't go to council, the planner can make the decision. So if you are the only one who puts in a submission, it also doesn't mean anything. If you want it to go to council and you're not sure whether anyone else is putting in a submission, it pays to write three separate submissions, and send them in either under different names or companies or groups. ................... If I get time today I might have to write something up on this for Speak Up Launceston and for Launceston Concerned Citizens. ................... They are currently very busy on the matter of councils and planning type issues in general. They are less than impressed with Peter Gutwein's behaviour in such matters and that Gutwein was having too much to say over councils. X.
Aug D I M, Town Planner: Dear TP, Thank-you for the reply. Am I reading this correctly I can build a house and if the Council believes the plans meet the Scheme no one needs to be informed on adjoining properties nor a planning application made? ................... So is this why I can not locate an application on the LCC property eTracker? ................... So this development will be discharging house and property water runoff into the [XYZ] Creek which will increase the flow rate and volume of the creek which will have a direct impact upon my property and I do not need to be consulted? ................... So if no Development Application has to be made how does one object to a building if no development application made? ................... On what grounds (specifically) was it decided that no development application had to be made?
XAug 2017, City Council Planning Queries wrote: Hi D, I am emailing further to your enquiry regarding [XYZ] ABC. A building approval was issued [AA} June 2017. The plans met the residential requirements under the Rural Living Zone in the Planning Scheme and as such no planning permit was required. As no permit was required, it was not necessary to inform adjoining land owners. Regards, ...................Town Planner City of Launceston
From D to Council planner .......... Dear Council, We are wondering if a Development Application as been approved or made for possibly [XYZ] ABC, that is behind our property. ................... The reason we ask is a house is being built by [BBB] Builders and we do not recall receiving a DA notification or it being posted on the Council website . . . The house is adjacent to the approved DA00KK/2017 ................... We know about DA00KK/2017as we saw the DA application sign on the property fence but that is not the location of the house currently being built. Regards, D
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