Southern Beekeepers Association have been working on a Code Of Practice for Urban Beekeeping for some time, and recently approached Hobart City Council to discuss altering the current highly restrictive regulations: no more than two hives without the General Manager’s approval, all hives a minimum of fifty metres from the nearest residence. Technically, the fifty metre rule makes it an offence to have backyard hives on virtually every property in the Hobart municipality.
In early August 2015, the Council’s Planning and Environmental Services Committee Meeting recommended adoption of a new by-law which incorporates some of the important parts of the Code of Practice; the full Council then endorsed this proposed new by-law. Now there will be a public consultation process before the new by-law is adopted by State Parliament, and until this happens the ’50m rule’ by-law remains in force. Full details of the proposed changes are in the meeting agenda.
The SBA plans to liaise with other southern Tasmanian Councils, particularly the Greater Hobart ones, with the aim of them following the lead of the HCC.