The Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania and the Tasmanian Conservation Trust welcome the Greens policy on planning, Planning for People, which was released this morning. 
 
“The Greens Party has responded to the community’s concerns that the Liberal government’s planning reforms have gone too far, and addresses many of the fundamental concerns shared by our 58 member groups,” said PMAT Coordinator Sophie Underwood. 
 
“PMAT welcomes the Greens planning policy to overhaul the proposed Tasmanian Planning Scheme (TPS), especially in regard to allowing the community to have a say over things they care about, including their backyards, and our natural and cultural heritage. 
 
“PMAT welcomes the Greens commitment to reviewing the residential standards, which Liberals failed to fix during the development of the State Planning Provisions. Under the Liberals proposed TPS neighbourhood amenity and character, privacy and sunlight into our backyards and homes are not adequately protected and our rights to challenge inappropriate developments, through appeals, are very limited. 
 
“Under the Liberal’s, all commercial developments in reserved land are classed as ‘permitted’ which means that there is no guarantee of public comment and no appeal rights. PMAT welcomes that the Greens planning policy, which guarantees public comment and appeal rights on developments on reserves and crown land’. 
 
“PMAT welcomes the focus of the Greens planning policy on State Policies. State Policies are vital as they will help set a strategic vision for Tasmania. 
 
“When Tasmania’s Resource Management and Planning System was introduced in 1993, State Policies were intended to form the backbone of that system, providing statewide guidance on a wide range of planning issues. The near absence of these policies (to date, only three have been finalised) has long been regarded as a missing piece in Tasmania’s planning framework. 
 
“PMAT welcomes that the Greens have named up six new State Policies that they would develop. Labor has accepted the critical role that planning policies play, in setting objectives for the planning system that reflect the interests of the community as a whole and not just those of the development sector. Despite promising planning policies at the 2014 election the Liberal government has failed to deliver any. 
 
“PMAT will be releasing a comprehensive score card, which will compare all political parties and where they stand on planning. 
 
“The Liberals want rampant development in National Parks and Reserves, while taking away the communities right to have a say and appeal rights. While Labor has expressed concern about the Liberal’s policy, the Greens want to reverse it, giving communities a right to have a say and appeal rights and will prohibit developments in National Parks,” said the Tasmanian Conservation Trust Director Peter McGlone. 

Hobart Not Highrise, through President Brian Corr, “commends the Greens Policy on highrise and major projects: that the proposed ‘Major Projects’ legislation be scrapped, that the Minister have no call-in powers and must take the advice of the Tasmanian Planning Commission, and that height limits be protected. These measures would go a long way towards protecting Hobart, its heritage, and its views.”