Tassie cargo barge option scuppered as council fails to agree
A private plan to create a barge-driven freight route along Tasmania’s Huon River has been rejected by the local council.
The Huon Valley Council was split four votes to four when asked to approve the installation of a jetty on private land at Waterloo Bay, the lack of a majority leaving the development application unpassed.
While the key developer Telopea insisted a range of cargo options would exist, the barges would predominantly have carried woodchips from the forestry sector.
They were to travel further south toward the mouth of the Huon River where the cargo would be transferred to export ships.
Spokesman Dennis Bewsher says the alternative was for road vehicles to take woodchips from forestry areas overland to Bell Bay in the north of the state.
“It represents a potential massive reduction of trucks travelling from southern Tasmania to Bell Bay,” he said before yesterday’s council decision.
“Our site will be fully compliant with all regulations regarding rare and endangered species.
“It will be far more green and economical than taking cargo to Bell Bay by road or even by rail.”
Bewsher says he and the company are now considering options, including an appeal.
The council’s decision will also be reviewed by the Tasmanian Planning Commission.