In recent years, Launceston City Council has been working hard to complete major improvements along the North Esk River and to build a walkway. In cooperation with the State Government, Council commenced an environmental audit of properties in St Leonards Road as part of a continued focus on improving the environment in the area.
The work will continue for the next 12 to 24 months as Council further enhances the area with tree planting along the river edge.
Group Manager Sustainability, Ian Abernethy, said these improvements made it a good time to conduct an environmental audit.
“Now that Council has made some progress to improve the amenity in the area, we wanted to start working with the local community to ensure any negative impact on the environment that may be caused by surrounding properties are also addressed,” he said. “To do that Council staff audit the area and visit properties to check that their environmental practices comply with the relevant regulations. If there are any matters of concern, we then discuss with them what can be done to ensure their activities are not adversely impacting the surrounding environment.”
Property owners were informed in May that the audit by Council employees would take place over the coming months. This work will enable Council to check that any planning approval conditions that currently apply to businesses are appropriate and that they are being complied with by the owners and the operators.
“If we find anomalies, we can then work with the property owner to update planning conditions so they reflect any new use,” Ian Abernethy said. “To do this, we want to work with owners and tenants to obtain the best outcome for the surrounding environment, the community as well as local properties.”
