REZONING
Image A - aerial footage from Google Maps with an approximate overlay showing the 172ha land parcel part of the rezoning
QUICK ANSWERS:
WHERE IS IT?​
The address is 135 Bell Bay Rd Bell Bay, however, the land included in the proposed rezoning sits within George Town, not Bell Bay.
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WHAT IS POINT EFFINGHAM?
Also known as Sawyer's point, it is
a large feature of the land included
in this rezoning proposal.
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HOW BIG IS IT?
The largest part of land included in the proposal is 172 hectares. The smaller part of Crown Land which sits within the estuary itself is an unknown size.
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WHO OWNS THE LAND?
Rio Tinto Aluminium (Bell Bay) Limited and the Crown.
WHAT IS IT CURRENTLY ZONED AS?​
The 172ha land parcel owned by Rio Tinto is currently zoned as Rural Resource. The other area of subject within the estuary is currently Crown Land.
IS IT IN BELL BAY?
No. The land is in George Town and sits outside of the existing Bell Bay Advanced Manufacturing Zone (BBAMZ).
WHAT IS THE BBAMZ?
Occupying 2500ha, the BBAMZ is Tasmania's largest industrial precinct. It lies just south of the township of George Town. To be clear, the current rezoning proposal sits outside of the existing BBAMZ.
ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW?
1. The 172ha land parcel is larger than the CBD of George Town.
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2. According to the "George Town Council Supporting Report Draft" from 2022, "...there is ample land available for industrial use in the foreseeable future across the region."
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3. This land has been a dedicated buffer area for the residential area of George Town from the existing industrial precinct.
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4. The proposed rezoning of Crown Land to Ports and Marine will allow a new deep water port facility. The sediment in the estuary is known to contain large amounts of heavy metals from existing industrial sites. According to the "kanamaluka/Tamar River Estuary Sediment Raking Program Review", "The data demonstrates that the mobilisation of sediments in the water column has a long-lasting negative impact on water quality along the length of the estuary."
WHAT IS THE REZONING?
Proposal AM-GEO-AMD-02-2023 seeks to change the zoning of 172 hectares worth of Agriculture zoned land (owned by Rio Tinto) to the following zones:
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Open Space​ (highlighted in green)
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Light Industrial (highlighted in purple)
as well as the Port and Marine Zone to current Crown Land (highlighted in aqua). As shown in image C, the proposed Port and Marine Zone will extend towards the existing land owned by TasPorts which already includes a wharf and is currently zoned as Port and Marine.
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Image C - An overlay of 2 images. Bottom image is from 6ty Pty Ltd's representation submission on behalf of Rio Tinto Aluminium (Bell Bay) Limited which shows (in blue) TasPorts land including an existing wharf. Above image is Image B which shows the proposed Port and Marine area including space for a new deep water wharf. The new proposed rezoning stretches toward and infront of the existing wharf run by TasPorts.
Image B - shows the 172ha land parcel divided into the proposed Open Space and Light Industrial Zones, and Port and Marine Zone applied to Crown Land (source: Page 16 of George Town Council Meeting Minutes 27/2/2024 and George Town Local Provisions Schedule - Draft Amendment AMD 02/23)
WHERE IS THE
REZONING?
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The proposed rezoning includes a total of 172 hectares located at 135 Bell Bay Road on the East Tamar.
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The area outlined in blue is part of a much larger land parcel totalling 1958ha which is owned by Rio Tinto Aluminium (Bell Bay) Limited.
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"The area of interest is located in the westernmost part of the title. It is adjacent to the George Town urban area and its north-west corner shares a boundary with residential-zoned land." (from 6ty Pty Ltd's submission on behalf of Rio Tinto on 26 May 2023)
Image D - shows an outline of the subject land (172ha) (source: page 2 of 6ty Pty Ltd's submission on behalf of Rio Tinto Aluminium (bell Bay) Limited).
REPRESENTATIONS
MADE:
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6ty Pty Ltd submitted a representation on behalf of Rio Tinto Aluminium (Bell Bay) Limited on 8th of November 2022. (see image G)
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The Office of the Coordinator-General submitted a representation on 26th of May 2023, in which they expressed their support for the "area of interest" to be zoned General Industrial.
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TasRail submitted a representation on Sept 1 2022, and another representation on Jan 11 2024.
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TasPorts submitted a representation on 1st September 2022, in which they expressed their support for Priority Vegetation Areas and Waterway and Coastal Protection areas to be removed (see image E), They also reference The George Town Area Structure Plan of 2021 and it's intention to transition the 172ha included in the proposed rezoning, as well as land that runs adjacent to George Town to Light Industrial to accomodate their plans for Light Industrial expansion (see image F).
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As far as we can tell, no representations were made on behalf of the environment or any environmental groups/bodies.
Image E - TasPorts proposed removal of Priority Vegetation Areas and Waterway and Coastal protection Areas. (source: TasPorts Submission for George Town Draft Local Provisions Schedule - Port of Bell Bay)
Image F - part of TasPorts submission where they refer to The George Town Area Structure Plan 2021
Image G - shows Rio Tinto/Bell Bay's original proposed alternate zoning from their submission dated 8 November 2022.
OUR CONCERNS:
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According to the George Town Area Structure Plan of April 2021, this land was originally intended to provide an adequate buffer zone for residents of George Town from the existing Bell Bay industrial precinct.
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Lack of consultation with the surrounding communities on both sides of kanamaluka/Tamar Estuary.
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Lack of environmental consideration and appropriate consultation regarding wildlife and the environment throughout the process.
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Taking some of the last remaining environmental land intended to be a buffer zone and adding it to the existing 2,500 hectares which is Tasmania’s largest industrial precinct, and mostly unused.
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153 threatened species are known to occur within the Tamar Valley, including White-Bellied Sea Eagles, Spotted Tail Quolls, Eastern Barred Bandicoots, Green and Gold Frogs, and more.
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kanamaluka/Tamar Estuary makes up part of the East Asian-Australian Flyway, the most densely populated migratory corridor in the world. All species of bird using this corridor are protected under federal legislation. kanamaluka/Tamar Estuary provides habitat to over 20 migratory bird species.
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According to the The Bell Bay Industrial Precinct Development Plan of July 2017, the land was labelled "Maintain Rural Resource Zone". (See image I)
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In the same document, on page 10, it is stated that "Given the excess light industrial zoned land available, an expansion of the light industrial zone into this area will not be necessary for the foreseeable future."
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According to page 18 of the George Town Council Supporting Report Draft LPS 2022 "there is ample land available for industrial use in the foreseeable future across the region." We wonder what has changed since 2017 and 2022 when these statements were made?
Image H - Shows the existing classification of the subject land as being "Buffer Areas" (George Town Area Structure Plan April 2021)
Image I - Screenshot showing the "Maintain Rural Resource Zone" in orange from the The Bell Bay Industrial Precinct Development Plan of July 2017
Image J - Screenshot from page 18 of the George Town Council Supporting Report Draft LPS 2022
Image J - shows the land currently owned by Rio Tinto and areas already zoned as General Industrial (dark purple). Circled in blue is the land they seek to rezone as Light Industrial.
WHAT DO THESE NEW ZONES MEAN?
According to this document, the purpose of the Light Industrial Zone is:
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To provide for manufacturing, processing, repair, storage and distribution of goods and materials where off site impacts are minimal or can be managed to minimise conflict with, or unreasonable loss of amenity to, any other uses.
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To provide for use or development that supports and does not adversely impact on industrial activity.
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According to this document, the purpose of the Open Space Zone is:
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To provide land for open space purposes including for passive recreation and natural or landscape amenity.
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To provide for use and development that supports the use of the land for open space purposes or for other compatible uses.
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According to this document, the purpose of the Port and Marine Zone is:
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To provide for major port and marine activity related to shipping and other associated transport facilities and supply and storage.
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To provide for use or development that supports and does not adversely impact on port and marine activities.
Wait, what about SunCable? and who is Rio Tinto?
At this stage, SunCable is just a hypothetical scenario. Furthermore, this rezoning must first be approved before any potential development is allocated to the land included in this rezoning proposal.
If the rezoning is rejected, it will remain a buffer area.
If the rezoning is approved, there is no way of knowing what development could be built on this land. For this reason, our issue is not with SunCable or their proposed development. We would be more than happy for SunCable to build within the existing 2500ha BBAMZ.
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Rio Tinto own the 172ha at the heart of this proposal. This land is part of a larger 1958ha land parcel which stretches along the bank of the estuary.
We can only hope that Rio Tinto, the world's 2nd largest mining and metals corporation with a net-worth of over $169 billion, wishes to protect the local residents and conserve the natural landscape, environment, and wildlife of this land. After all, at the core of Rio Tinto is a company built upon an scrupulous moral integrity and an unceasing commitment to upholding human rights. Their passion for inclusivity, and their dedication to fighting corruption is second to none.
Their unshakeable devotion to conserving sacred Aboriginal sites, and protecting the environment from pollution, especially in Papua New Guinea, and Utah, is unparalleled. With the company's formation being way back in 1873, and their reputation remaining largely unchanged since, we can all feel confident that the steadfast values and ethics of which the company was built upon and shaped by, are so deeply ingrained one would need to drill 382 blast holes and load them with explosives to even come close to shaking them.
You can read more about the earth shattering work Rio Tinto has done over the last 151 years here, here, here, and here.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP?
We have a hearing with the Tasmanian Planning Commission on Thursday August the 8th at George Town Council Chambers (16-18 Anne St George Town). We are currently raising funds to help cover the extensive costs involved in fighting the rezoning, including legal costs, and assistance from a Town Planner to present a case on the behalf of concerned local residents.
You can donate to our gofundme below: