New Norfolk Rum Distillery – Willow Court Tasmania

Frascati House not wanted

In the Derwent Valley Council’s Agenda this last week there is a note to amend the decision made on the 20 June 2019 to remove reference to Frascati House and only include the Barracks in the lease arrangement with Salamanca Art on behalf of the Derwent Valley Arts Group. http://www.derwentvalley.tas.gov.au/webdata/resources/minutesAgendas/19%20March%202020%20-%20Council%20Agenda.pdf Item 10.12

The Derwent Valley Council opened up an expression of interest process to off load the remaining sections of the hospital under their management. There were a number of groups who expressed an interest in the site at the time and within the allotted time period. There was also one successful applicant who was entertained outside of the expression of interest period. Shortly after the announcements of successful applicants the General Manager of the Derwent Valley Council instigated a Probity Investigation into the tender process for the Sale or Lease of Willow Court with a very narrow brief of “examination of the decision by the Council to entertain unsolicited proposals after the closure of the EOI process”.

The site owners have had a long history of offering the assets to business and groups who have had ideas, but in many cases, without due diligence these great ideas have failed or never got off the ground, so the property has returned back to the DVC often in a much worse state. This leaves the rate payers of the Derwent Valley to pick up the tab.

Works have not started in the Rum Distillery which is the remaining property offered for lease. While the locks have been changed there isn’t any visible work in the area previously approved for work by the Derwent Valley Council in May 2019.

Investigation into Council’s own actions

On the 20th June at the Derwent Valley Council meeting the General Manager instigated a Probity Investigation into the tender process for the Sale or Lease of Willow Court. He based this on “perceived” favourable treatment of the New Norfolk Rum Distillery proponent’s application.

He explained that there were four expressions of interest, one received during the allowed time period of the EOI and was assessed against the EOI criteria.
The three others unsolicited expressions of interest were assessed “on their own merits”, according to the General Manager on the audio recording of the last Council Meeting.

Today the same General Manager stood down after the cull of birds on public land owned by Council. An authorised Contractor undertook the poisoning and removal of a number of birds at Tynwald Park New Norfolk.

This raises big concerns and questions about the decision making ability of the General Manager, who runs the day to day operations of the Derwent Valley Council. Secondly we don’t know who was appointed as the “independent” investigator and why such a quick call for an investigation was made?

There has also been a major change to the Development Application from the Distillery proponents who have appealed a decision of the Derwent Valley Council to limit the tastings in the approved “tasting room” to rum produced on site by the proponents, to sales of other alcohol products from other producers.

This would effectively turn the application into an open hotel with distillery attached. This is still before the Planning Appeals Tribunal.