Page 538 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 1991
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I do not know how long it is going to take - it seems to be an eternity - but we will, at some stage in the future, be moving into new legislation concerning planning, and under that legislation, I understand, there will be avenues for people to appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal if they believe that planning decisions have an adverse effect on them. Given that there seems to be a gap here and given that we are moving to a situation where appeals will be possible, it seems sensible that we should all bend our maximum effort to resolve this issue. It would have been good if the developers of the project had had consideration for their future neighbours. That does not seem to have occurred on this occasion. It would have been good if they had taken every step that they possibly could to keep their roof-line down and to keep their building away.
I was in this situation many years ago when I built a house on a hillside north of Cairns. In the end I built well into the ground and I put a flat roof on my house so that my neighbours on the top side had minimal disruption to their view. I was quite happy to do that and my neighbours were pleased that I did so. I think that is the sort of thing that we need to do. Unfortunately it has not happened on this occasion. It seems necessary for considerable pressure to be applied, if only the pressure of members taking an interest and the debate in this chamber, for the developers to lower that building somewhat, to put a flat roof on it, to take it down on the contours a little more so that the people above them receive the justice that I think is due to them. I would urge all members who have an involvement in this matter to continue their efforts to protect the people who have already built there.
MR JENSEN: Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation under standing order 46 in relation to an issue on dates.
MR SPEAKER: Please proceed.
MR JENSEN: Mr Stevenson made a comment in relation to some confusion about dates. The dates that I gave in relation to the approvals for blocks 2, 3 and 4 as 12 December, 31 October and 31 October 1990 related to approval for a second storey. There were subsequent other minor approvals granted by the building section on the following dates: Block 2, on 16 January 1991; blocks 3 and 4, on 12 December 1990. That may be where some of the confusion arises.
MR SPEAKER: The discussion is concluded.
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