RED AWNINGS, ABC Online: ‘Reprehensible’ approval of Hobart’s red awnings: The chairman of a Hobart City Council committee is disappointed it has approved red awnings on an old bank in the CBD.

The Development and Environmental Services Committee last night decided the awnings on the former Savings Bank in Murray Street should not be removed.

The full council will consider the committee’s recommendation at its meeting next week.

Alderman Darlene Haigh says the committee should have supported a council report that opposed the awnings because they are not compatible with the building’s heritage values.

“You don’t go against that for a populist point of view,” she said.

“I just think it’s reprehensible because we’re there to vote on things under the planning scheme.”

Alderman Haigh was the only member to vote against the approval.

“If you’re looking at things under the planning scheme, heritage and things like that, you use your planning scheme, you don’t just because you’ve seen people on the television or in the paper saying they’ll take things here, there and everywhere…well that’s not the way it goes.”

Alderman Jeff Briscoe has denied the committee bowed to media pressure.

“Blind Freddie could say that the red awnings did not harm the heritage of the building,” he said.

“[They] did not harm the sandstone and actually added the bit of brightness to the city during winter time.”

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/07/3237386.htm

Vote 1. Popularist Party.  Formerly known as the Roll Over Party, today achieved a degree of difficulty backflip of 3.4.
However it amounted to nothing,and a disqualification from the judges as they had appeared at the wrong event.
Alderman Haigh you seem to be the only principled alderman on this matter.
The Tasmanian Heritage Council has the final bureaucratic call anyway ,subject to appeal in the appropriate jurisdictional forum.  Michael Swanton.