Break O'Day Tourism Development Strategy 2012 - 2017 The Break O’Day Tourism Development Strategy provides a framework and directions for tourism initiatives over a 5 year period. The strategy focuses on the following three areas: Management; Development; and Marketing. Recommendations under the heading of development are most relevant to this project, given the focus on the planning and development approvals system. Relevant recommendations include: Establishing a local connector road to the East Coast; Enhancing visitor experiences in St Helens by initiatives such as completing the St Helens boardwalk; Road access to Blue Tier to capitalise on nature based assets e.g. trails, walks waterfall tracks, drives; Traffic management in St Helens; Reviewing the impacts of free camping within the municipality; and Keeping a watching brief on development in national parks. As with the Destination Management Plan, the Break O’Day Tourism Development Strategy does not provide broader spatially based strategic directions in relation to future tourism uses that might seek to locate throughout the region. It identifies a number of possible initiatives and a number of issues that need to be reviewed. However it does not provide a strategic framework that is focussed on assisting planning authorities to make decisions on planning permit applications and rezoning requests in the future. Options provided in Report 1 The first report in this project identified three options for tourism development in the region. Those options are summarised in Figures 2. The report did not identify a preferred option. Options 2 and 3 were similar, except that Option 3 included the establishment of an iconic walking trail along the East Coast, that would provide a year round attraction that would link local tourism experiences in different parts of the region. Figure 2: Options provided in report 1 sustainable tourism plan | hansen partnership | february 2015 11
this zone. Potential standards could relate to number of patrons, hours of operation, number of rooms etc. Include the following text in the ‘Development Standards’: Nil at this time. Further study may identify development standards appropriate to apply to tourism uses in this zone. Potential standards could relate to site layout, built form, access, sustainability or infrastructure requirements etc. Include as a reference document the East Coast Tasmania Sustainable Tourism Strategy – Component 3 Sustainable Tourism Plan and / or any updated tourism strategies that result as a consequence of this project. 8.7 Cultural heritage studies In relation to post-contact heritage, there is presently a lack of information and protection for locally significant heritage buildings, sites and places. The Tasmanian Heritage Register (THR) lists buildings and places of State significance, and provides adequate protection for places included on that register. At the municipal level, a Heritage Code is available in new format interim planning schemes which can be applied to heritage places, including locally significant places. At present very few locally significant heritage places have been identified by heritage studies, and few locally significant places are listed in planning schemes. It is recommended that local heritage studies be undertaken by each municipality to identify locally significant heritage places, for inclusion within the Heritage Code of municipal planning schemes. There is also a lack of recognition and protection for intangible heritage places such as significant landscapes and views. These places may, in some cases, relate to both pre and post- contact cultural heritage matters. Many locations containing ‘less tangible’ places of cultural heritage significance, such a significant landscapes, were included on the now defunct Register of the National Estate. Such landscapes are not presently either recognised or protected. The new format interim planning schemes provides the opportunity to protect significant landscapes and views by use of the Scenic Management Code. It is recommended that a landscape study be undertaken for municipalities throughout the study area. The study should review significant landscapes identified on the previous Register of the National Estate, undertake visual analysis to identify other significant landscapes and views, and make recommendations for the Scenic Management Code to be applied to manage development within those areas. sustainable tourism plan | hansen partnership | february 2015 43
Conclusion This report is the culmination of investigations undertaken as part of a broader project referred to as “Planning for Sustainable Tourism on Tasmania’s East Coast”. The report brings together the findings of two earlier reports prepared as part of that project. It provides directions for sustainable tourism along the East Coast of Tasmania, and makes recommendations to improve the existing planning and approvals process to better manage the impacts of tourism development on the environmental and cultural heritage values of the region. Key recommendations contained in this report are included in the “Summary of Recommendations” chapter at the front of this document. . sustainable tourism plan | hansen partnership | february 2015 47