The Liberal Government is taking the Kingborough Council to the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal today, to avoid building a vital slip lane on its new Huntingfield roundabout.
More than two years after the Huntingfield development was 'fast-tracked' not a single home has been approved.
The State Government is building a new roundabout to service its long-delayed Huntingfield subdivision, but at a meeting last month, the Kingborough Council included a condition that the new infrastructure needed to include a slip lane to allow traffic going northward from Margate to avoid being held up at the roundabout.
Shadow Minister for Economic Development, Dean Winter, said the situation was ridiculous.
"The State Government is today taking its City Deal Partner, Kingborough Council, to the Planning Tribunal," Mr Winter said.
"Most City Deal projects are already delayed, the last thing Hobart needs is for the partners to be fighting each other in the Tribunal.
"The State Government's proposed design would slow down every vehicle travelling from the Channel towards Hobart. That's why the community asked for a slip lane and the Council insisted on improvements."
Labor Member for Huon, Bastian Seidel, said communities he represents in Margate, Snug and the southern Channel region were already concerned about lack of new infrastructure to support housing growth.
"Kingborough Council was right to require the slip lane to be built," Dr Seidel said.
"It responded to legitimate community concerns. Rather than wasting time fighting the decision, Michael Ferguson should just get on with the job and build the slip lane."
Dean Winter MP
Shadow Minister for Economic Development
Bastian Seidel MLC
Labor Member for Huon
