The mega Cambria Green development that would have completely reshaped the east coast of Tasmania for the worse has been roundly rejected by the Tasmanian Planning Commission. Long live the spirit of all Tasmanians who love this island, and congratulations to the plucky members of the East Coast Alliance who have fought for over five years to protect its beauty and values.
The 2018 proposal from Beijing-based developers was to rezone private land around Cambria Green and establish a gargantuan tourist and retirement enclave on prime agricultural and coastal land. Across 12 titles on 3185 hectares, the original proposal included many hundreds of units, shops, a sky hotel, an aged care facility, a private airport and multiple golf courses.
The massive land use changes it planned would have had devastating impacts on the local community, water availability, and biodiversity, including the Ramsar-listed Moulting lagoon.
The community swiftly responded to this over-development threat and established the East Coast Alliance. Thanks to their strong and concerted five-year fundraising and legal campaign, this development has now been rejected. The Tasmanian Planning Commission found it did not comply with state policies to protect coastal and agricultural land, water quality, or with the Planning Scheme and Regional Land Use Strategy.
The Cambria Green proposal was truly planning over-reach. The Liberals nurtured this dodgy development from at least 2015 through the misguided work of the Office of the Coordinator-General and their watered-down planning scheme. It will go down in Tasmanian history as a standout example of the community’s successful defence of our island’s special values against a development that would trash them.
The Greens sincerely hope the developer recognises this as the end of the road. The East Coast has outstanding beauty that should be protected, and developments of any scale should be worked through in genuine consultation with the local community.
