Who would have thought that when Pamela Thorne was awarded Burnies Citizen of the Year last January (by Mayor Kons nonetheless) events were just around the corner which have led to she and Neil John Thorne being compelled to write the following: We wish to comment on the disposal of public land contained within CT137631, Folio 1 located at 10 Bass Highway, Parklands. My husband and I have an accumulated a 135 year history of living in Burnie. We have five life memberships of various community organisations, and are currently active in Burnie Arts Council, Emu Bay Lions club, Friends of Burnie Regional Art Gallery, and Acton Child and Family Hub. We therefore feel that we are well qualified to comment on Councils decision to hand over a piece of prime, currently public, waterfront land to UTAS. We oppose the decision because we have yet to be provided with any evidence that the building of a university campus on our waterfront will bring advantage to our city which outweighs the potential damage to our status as a cultural tourism destination. Over the years we have been part of many discussions about what our waterfront should look like. At no stage would we have contemplated what is now planned. It is unfortunate that we were unable to formally comment on the Development Application of the NRAS units. We believe they will crowd the iconic Makers Workshop building, and exclude light and views from Makers Workshop northern windows. It is uncertain if the university will even be able to fulfil its promise to continue development on the site in a way which may recoup some of the problems we are already seeing occurring as Makers Workshop undergoes its transition from purpose-built tourism icon to a venue with many masters and confused function. All the news regarding UTAS funding relates to a diminished income pool, with regional campuses bearing the brunt of these cuts. Stanley and Devonport are taking innovative and strategic steps to attract visitors. Potentially - and sadly - Burnie is set to become the poor cousin, sandwiched between two centres who have maintained their focus on preserving their marketability. As such, it is extremely risky for council to pursue this stage of the deal, and I think that the entire project needs further scrutiny, due diligence and valid community consultation.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 02:54:43 +0000
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