OPEN LETTER TO LAUNCESTON COUNCILLORS: PLEASE DO NOT LET THE RUSSELS PLAINS BUILDING BE WANTONLY DEMOLISHED BEFORE THE COMMUNITY CAN HAVE A SAY!

COUNCILLORS,

This property that Council is set to abandon is publicly owned and paid for by ratepayers. It was a 'strategic policy decision' to buy it back in 1997 and the ratepayers/shareholders had, and indeed still have, 'skin in the game'. However, the world has changed while status quo thinkers seem to be at a standstill and sitting upon their hands.

As a measure of the disruptive changes the world is seeing, today there are more than 1 billion sites on the World Wide Web, while  in 1995, the year AltaVista and Amazon launched, there were 23,500. The year before that, there were only 2,738 websites. After that we are faced with a CLIMATE EMERGENCY. Information technologies and the climate are both on track to change  exponentially just in case anyone really needs to know.

Local governments, regional governments and national governments have all been extraordinarily slow at adapting to change. Launceston's Council has been perhaps slower than many given that 'strategically' its management and a cohort of elected representatives can be seen to be clinging to the status quo and trusting in THE GODS – whichever one that is handy and available to endorses their world view.

The deliberations around the table at Launceston's Town Hall last Thursday is edifying. There is clearly a cabal of Councillors and managers who, if they turn their mind to it, they can estimate the 'cost' of almost everything but nonetheless they have no idea about the 'value' of anything on the evidence. Some even claim accountancy credentials for heavens sake.

When it comes to the 'values' inherent in this 'public property' this cohort come up seriously wanting. Let alone, consider the risks involved in handing this particular property, this land, this investment, back to the forces of nature and allowing the wildlife do the RISKmanagement.

It is apocryphal that in local governance MATESrates means that there is a loading on top of prized contracts and a 'discount' owing to the 'tender approvers'. Yes, it is scurrilous rumour but there once was a TV Show, namely 'Grass Roots' in 2000 and 2003 – an ABC production – where that cultural reality was explored in depth. It is now a part of local governance's CULTURALreality, a kind of litmus test, and key reference in the understanding of governance.

Here in Launceston we have a disconnect at work where whoever WINS it is not destined to be, or even designed to be, the hapless ratepayers. Councillors get their stipends and Council Executives receive their for the most part, overblown salaries and:

• The homeless continue go unhoused and to be un-welcomed in our city's backyard; and
• Landfill sites are maintained in contradiction to 21st C best practice; and
• Waste gets to be wasted and resources fail to be recovered, and
• Planning priorities set in the 20th C prevail; and
• Rumours of developers getting FREEkicks persist; and
• High performing in-house frontline service providers achievements go unacknowledged and unrewarded; and
• Transparency and accountability in governance is resisted at every turn; and
• The municipality's investments in its CULTURALcapital an CULTURALlandscape flies well and truly below below the radar: and

more still quite probably if a Freedom Of Information applications to the Ombudsman application had any chance of being responded to inside say five years. However, Launcstonians are not alone such is the state of Status Quoism. It was President Ronald Reagan who told us all about that years ago when he said ... "the status quo you know is Latin for the mess we are in."

The GOODnews is that ALL Councillors seem to endorse the idea that there needs to be meaningful community consultation before strategically determining the BEST USE of this property.

In the meantime $40K to $50K must be saved by not junking the buildings on this property. There may well be a purpose for them yet once THEcommunity has been consulted in a meaningful way.

Move slowly here please and it can be done indeed mostly it is standard practice. However, please be proactive in putting together a credible consultations process that ideally, and pragmatically, should be carried out at 'arm's length'.

Ray Norman

For and behalf of the

Launcestonian Concerned Citizen's Network

Launceston councillors divided over

demolishing Rocherlea house

By Joe Colbrook September 25 2023 - 5:00am

The question of what to do with thousands of acres of land in Rocherlea lingers.

The City of Launceston council purchased 126-128 Russells Plains Road in 1997, and it was earmarked as a future landfill site to replace the current facility off Remount Road.

Russells Plains Road, Rocherlea. Picture by Craig George

A derelict house stands at 126-128 Russells Plains Road, Rocherlea. Picture by Craig George

Originally a farm, the property comprises 862 hectares of agricultural land with two houses on it.

The council leased these to tenants, and planned to do so until the time came to convert the property to a landfill.

Council documents said residents had to deal with trespassers, wood hookers, illegal dumping and theft, which officers said made it a "difficult property on which to reside".

One tenant left the property in 2022, telling the council they were in "constant fear".

"I don't believe anyone in council have any real idea what's happening on the property," they said.

"Has to be seen to be believed lol. It's just constant fear of being robbed and having cars or belongings taken.

"There is no presence of council and/or police to stop this sort of thing happening ... Pity as it is a nice spot up there."

The vacant house was destroyed in an arson attack in June 2022, and the remaining one is set to be demolished after a council vote on September 21.

Deputy mayor Hugh McKenzie said taking the house off the market and demolishing it was a hard decision to support, but repairing it would be "putting good money after bad".

The house is on nearly 900 hectares of land initially bought to expand the nearby landfill site. Picture by Craig George

"It isn't a safe place for people to reside," Cr McKenzie said.

"Yes, we could spend money and refurbish the house. My sense is that would probably be putting good money after bad based on the history of the property.

"It's very sad to say that because property should be respected by everybody in the community. Unfortunately, it's not."

Councillor Danny Gibson also spoke in favour of demolishing the house, and said the situation was sad, but the result of a "small minority" of badly-behaved people.

Council officers estimated it would cost about $300,000 to make the remaining house habitable, while demolishing it would cost about $47,000.

Councillor Tim Walker spoke against demolishing the house, saying the property had become uninhabitable because the council neglected its duties, and demolishing it would not fix the underlying problem.

"There are hundreds of rural properties around Launceston right now that are not in that particular state," Cr Walker said.

"Don't tell me that just because the council owns the land somehow it's harder to manage than any other rural property around Launceston. It's not."

The house has been vacant for months, and in a state of disrepair. Picture by Craig George

Cr Walker found some support around the table, with councillor Andrew Palmer saying the council should "continue to do our damnedest" to restore the property and councillor Joe Pentridge saying it should remain a home.

A motion approving the demolition of the house passed 7-5, with councillors Susie Cai, George Razay, Andrew Palmer, Joe Pentridge and Tim Walker voting against.

With the building's fate settled, discussion turned to the land's future use.

Although the property was destined to become a landfill, council documents suggest that it is now unlikely as the lifespan of the Remount Road facility has been extended to 2050.

This coincides with the council's planned transition away from landfill.

Alternative uses for the land included an industrial estate, recreation ground and potentially some residential land, however the extent of this is limited by the need for buffer zones with the landfill.

The council was far more united in discussing the land's future, with Cr Walker urging his colleagues to make use of the opportunity they had been given.

"What I would like to see in this particular area is a development ... that is planned better than anything that we've ever done before," he said.

A motion "prioritising" a decision on whether the site should be a landfill, and commissioning a land use study passed unanimously.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

At Launceston Council’s recent meeting there were deliberations about a Council property on Russells Plains Road that has fallen into total disrepair. There were once tenants in the house and the land was farmed. It seems the house and land have been abandoned due to vandalism and criminal activity. 

If true it is an appalling state of affairs. It is especially so as every dwelling in any community is needed. As for the loss of productive land that too is outrageous. 

Looking at Council’s documentation of the condition the house and associated buildings have fallen into. Well, you do have to wonder about just how good a landlord the Council has been. Along with that questions arise about how well Council has managed shareholders’/ratepayers’ investment. 

Tenants living elsewhere would have the opportunity to force their landlords maintain their property. In fact, good landlords would do that to protect their investment. 

Clearly the city’s ratepayers’ investments need much more diligent risk protection and a more appropriate level of care. Plus, ratepayers’ need appropriate dividends on their investment. 

On the evidence presented to Council this property now presents an enormous fire risk and listening to Councillor's deliberations there is no acknowledgement of that, nor the consequent risks to property, life and limb if Council keeps on looking away as proposed.

Ray Norman Launceston

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Multiple fires at council-owned property under investigation ... By Declan Durrant Updated October 15 2023

Police are investigating two structure fires which broke out on the same council-owned Rocherlea property on Saturday afternoon and evening, which has previously been victim to arson attacks.

A derelict house and shed were completely destroyed by the separate fires which occurred four hours apart on Russells Plains road on Saturday, October 14.

Tasmania Police confirmed the property was owned by the City of Launceston Council.

Tasmania Fire Service attended the first structure fire at the property about 4:50pm to find a shed had been completely destroyed by fire which had been "impinging on a house" on the property.

Crews brought the fire under control and left the site only to be called back about 9:55pm to find the house engulfed in flames.

A TFS spokesperson said the fire was then contained by firefighters to the house, "making sure it didn't spread" and let it destroy the building.

The matter has since been handed over to police and is being investigated.

"There is some unknown cause that police are following up to why [the fires] started," the spokesperson said.

A file image of 126-128 Russells Plains road, Rocherlea. Picture by Craig George

A Tasmania Police spokesperson said the fires were being investigated by the criminal investigation branch and forensic teams, and had not confirmed if they were lit deliberately.

Meanwhile, the council has been discussing a property previously target of an arson attack in June 2022.

That property on Russells Plains Road has since been approved for demolition in September this year.

During council discussions, documents were brought to table that stated residents had to deal with trespassers, wood hookers, illegal dumping and theft.

Launceston Council has been contacted for comment.

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Rocherlea house fire under investigation for arson ... June 6 2022

Arson event in Rocherlea under investigation by police

A deliberately lit fire in Rocherlea has been brought under control by the Tasmanian Fire Service.

A spokesperson for the TFS said the structure fire had been contained to one room, and there were no occupants in the house at the time of the blaze.

Two heavy pumpers and one heavy tanker attended the site, along with Tasmania Police.

The TFS spokesperson said police were investigating the fire but could not provide any further details at the time.

Investigations are on going.