We need homes, not hopes and hotels.

With Dowsing Point there is hope for around 1,000 homes, but it is very early days. The land is still in Federal Government hands, with only an in principle agreement with the State Government. No deal is done.

The Wilkinsons Point conversation sits with the State Government and a developer, not Council. Homes are not on the table, but a family holiday park, a hotel, a convention centre and retail are.

Here is my concern. Nobody can move into an agreement in principle and nobody can move into a hotel.

The Premier has said both sites would be activated within a decade. That is far too long to wait. We need urgent action on homes now. We can’t spend a decade waiting to see what happens at Wilkinsons Point and Dowsing Point.

I am committed to seeing land releases, done correctly, that are ready now and I’m open to medium density housing and to building above car parks.

Council has already written the rules for apartments and medium density in our activity centres and along the corridor. The Principal Activity Centre Specific Area Plan and the Northern Apartments Corridor Specific Area Plan are in our planning scheme right now and most developers don't know they exist. This must be spoken about loudly, get this known.

I am committed to making Glenorchy City Council the easiest council in Tasmania to build a home in, this year, not in a decade. This work of Council will not get a press conference, a photo opportunity or a headline. But we can play our part in turning land into homes faster.

Glenorchy First.