The Tasmanian Conservation Trust and Re Imagine The End have had a great victory in Tasmania’s planning appeal’s tribunal that saves the spotted handfish population at Halfmoon Bay from a destructive pipeline that is proposed to supply treated water for the Arm End golf course.
I initiated the appeal to the Resource Management and Planning Appeals Tribunal after the Clarence City Council (CCC) made serious flaws in approving the pipeline in February 2019. The TCT’s Director Peter McGlone represented me in the appeal and we negotiated numerous very important changes to how the pipeline is to be installed.
As approved by Council the pipeline would have seriously damaged the handfish habitat in Halfmoon Bay and could have killed handfishes directly. The proponent proposes to drill under the bed of the Halfmoon Bay at South Arm to install the pipeline, going underneath a population of the endangered spotted handfish. This method would protect the pipe from impact from wave action and storms but was not sufficient to protect the handfish.
Given the limitations of the CCC planning rules we never had a realistic chance of stopping the pipeline or having it relocated, but we have succeeded in negotiating the following permit conditions that protects the handfish population:
the pipeline is to be installed under the sea bed for a distance of more that 500m from shore instead of 200 metres as approved by council;
the pipeline is to be installed at least 3.5m under the sea bed and into bed rock instead of 1.5m under the sea bed as approved by Council (which made it likely that the drilling equipment would penetrate the sea bed and damage habitat and handfishes);
all works must be done outside the breeding season of the spotted handfish which the council did not require.
The Clarence City Council made a serious error in its decision and the TCT and I had to take a big financial risk to protect one of only ten known populations of the spotted handfish in the world. Most disappointing was that the Council’s original approval would have allowed the pipeline to penetrate the seabed in the middle of the handfish population.
Spotted handfish is now a lot safer with numerous additional conditions being place on the development as a result of our mediated outcome.
I wish to thank our environmental scientist Karen Parsons and marine engineer Alex Bandini-Maeder. Without their expertise and dedication we could not have run this appeal.
While the pipeline has received Council approval the State Government has not yet approved the use of the treated water at Arm End Reserve. RITE opposes the use of treated effluent in this public reserve because it would mean severe restrictions on public access. To get involved contact RITE via our web site or Facebook.
https://www.rite.org.au/
https://www.facebook.com/reimaginetheend
Robyn McNicol
Spokesperson
Re Imagine The End