Published by Pulse Media 13 November 2024. 

The mayors of greater Hobart have been accused of acting in their own “self-interest” after coming out against plans that could see them stripped of some planning powers for certain projects.

The state government is currently in the process of making changes to the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act that would allow a new Development Assessment Panels (DAP) to assess select projects independent of councils.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said it will ‘take the politics out of planning’ and avoid refusals from councillors with potential conflicts, but the mayors believe it will have the opposite effect.

They say it “undermines longstanding democratic processes” and “shifts the balance overwhelmingly in favour of developers”.