The Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania will host a forum featuring candidates  vying for the Legislative Council seat of Pembroke at this weekend’s by-election.  The forum will focus on issues relating the Statewide Planning Scheme and the  candidates’ vision for how planning affects development decisions for Pembroke in the future. 

All seven candidates have been invited, with five accepting to appear in person.  Green’s candidate Bill Harvey is unavailable, but has accepted an invitation to  send a representative. Liberal candidate James Walker is also unavailable and is  yet to respond to the invitation to nominate a representative. 

Given the complexity of planning laws and reforms, and to assist with consistency,  all candidates have been requested to address five specific questions, sent to  them in advance. 

Candidates forum – Planning Matters 

Where: Rosny Park Bowls Club 

40 Bastick St, Rosny 

When: Tuesday 31st October 2016 

6 pm  

More Information: Sophie Underwood – 0407 501 999

Specific candidate questions below 

FIVE QUESTIONS 

1. Planning is ultimately about having a vision for well-designed, liveable communities.  Describe your vision for Pembroke. 
   
   
2. Under the Statewide Planning Scheme, local area plans can be used to set special rules for  areas that have “particular environmental, economic, social or spatial qualities that require  provisions that are unique to the area of land”. What are some of the areas within  Pembroke that you think would warrant special rules? 
   
   
3. In its recommendations on the State Planning Provisions, the Tasmanian Planning  Commission urged the government to review, as a matter of priority, the impacts of  Planning Directive 4.11(commonly called PD 4.1) which provides for reduced lot sizes,  higher densities and reduced setbacks across most residential areas. Would you support  this review being carried out before the Statewide Planning Scheme takes effect? 
   
   
4. Do you support or oppose these projects being declared a major project and taken out of  the normal council assessment process: 

− The proposed tourist development on Rosny Hill 

− The golf resort at seven mile beach that was refused by the Clarence City Council in  2014 

− Fragrance skyscrapers proposed for Hobart and Launceston 

5. If you were to develop a suite of state planning policies2, what would be your priority  topics? 

1The Act allows the Minister for Planning and Local Government to issue planning directives. A planning directive  provides direction on planning matters, including standards that must be included in all planning schemes. Planning Directive 4.1 can be viewed here. Those standards overrode existing provisions, and reduced the  minimum lot sizes and setback provisions and increased density in all residential areas, whether in central Hobart  or downtown Cygnet. The content of Planning Directive4.1 has been copied almost unchanged into State Planning  Provisions.  

2State Policies describe the Government’s position on issues of sustainable development. They are policies about:  land use planning, land management, environmental management, and environment protection. Tasmania  currently only has three state policies: Tasmanian State Coastal Policy 1996, State Policy on Water Quality  Management 1997 & State Policy on Protection of Agricultural Land 2009. PMAT’s platform document, which  outlines the six key principles that PMAT believes must underpin Tasmania’s planning system, calls for a strategic  planning system by establishing and implementing a community endorsed, sustainable, long-term strategic vision  for Tasmania by creating a range of state and/or regional Policies. Examples include affordable housing,  biodiversity, fire management, climate change, coastal development, energy efficiency. For the full list of  examples, see ‘footnote d’ of PMAT’s platform document.