Clarence City Councill Councillors will be heading to Western Australia in February to help inform their upcoming decision on the Skylands Development proposal for the regionally significant Droughty Point land in Tranmere.
The council funded trip will see seven of Clarence City Council’s twelve Councillors visit Jindee Estate in WA and with City of Wanneroo representatives, to learn more about the style of development proposed as part of the Skylands development on Droughty Point.
After receiving an application seeking council’s support for an urban growth boundary extension for the Skylands Development at Droughty Point, council conducted extensive consultation and will soon be considering a report in an open meeting on whether to support the application.
Clarence City Council Mayor Brendan Blomeley said that the trip was vital in ensuring that council has a full understanding of the Skylands proposal and its development style, which encompasses a totally different approach to neighbourhood design to anything Tasmania has seen in the last 30 years.
“Skylands is a large scale, once in a century project of great regional significance and it is paramount that we as a council get this right for our community,” Mayor Blomeley said.
“This trip will allow us to see this style of development for ourselves, better understand its’ purpose, witness it in a local Australian setting and talk with local administrators about their thoughts and experience with things such as planning controls and community outcomes relating to the development.
“While we acknowledge that this trip is a cost to council, it is a worthwhile cost to make sure we do the right thing for our community by making the most informed decision we possibly can.”
Two additional current councillors have already made the trip to view the WA development in the context of the Skylands decision, with both reporting the trip as giving great insight into the development type.
The Jindee Estate features neighbourhood design by Estates Development Company, the same designers who designed the proposed Skylands development.