The kunanyi/Mt Wellington Cable Car could still be going ahead, according to Premier Jeremy Rockliff and his ‘State of the State’ address today.
Rockliff said cableways exist in iconic locations around the globe with “sensitive environmental conditions”, adding Tasmania “must move in this direction.”
“We do nature tourism well and we can continue to do that.”
“Switzerland, for example, is consistently ranked as one of the greenest and most environmentally sustainable places and has the highest concentration of point-of-Interest cableways.”
“I am committed not only to the Cradle Valley Cableway, but also a cableway on Kunanyi/Mt Wellington, and I have sought advice on developing a pathway to support this to happen,” said Rockliff.
The project was last knocked back in November after a long and tedious process to appeal a permit rejection by Hobart City Council, where the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found the proposal failed to meet ‘multiple standards’.
The Tribunal said the Mount Wellington Cableway Company proposal failed to meet standards around noise emissions, visual impact, effects on elements of geoheritage, and effects on biodiversity, saying the proposal would also have an adverse effect on quiet enjoyment of natural and cultural values in the Park.
They added that the proposed pinnacle centre, the cableway and a tower on the escarpment above the Organ Pipes would ‘adversely impact visual values and visual character in the Park’.
