In a first of its kind, a plan that brings together transport, housing and precinct planning in a whole of-city approach to help coordinate development over the next 30 years has been released for Hobart.
In a significant milestone, the Greater Hobart Committee, comprising of the region’s four Mayors and the Tasmanian Government, has adopted the final Greater Hobart Plan.
With an additional 60,000 people expected to call Greater Hobart home over the next thirty years, it is important to plan now. Our city is growing and changing and a proactive plan will guide this growth and help us retain the Greater Hobart we know and love.
Overwhelmingly, feedback received through the consultation process reinforced the need for increased housing diversity, more dwellings closer to activity centres and maintaining and increasing parks and green spaces, all of which are central to the final Plan.
The Plan manages the predicted growth across Greater Hobart while maintaining the character of each of its four urban centres.
It is about how the people of Hobart live, where we live, where we work, how we get around and where we go. That’s why a strategic, integrated plan is needed to guide the right development into the right places.
The Plan provides a guide to how strategic land use, transport and precinct planning can align and encourages more efficient development of Greater Hobart, underpinning development across the region for the next three decades.
This approach will allow us to prepare for business and employment growth, guide recreation and environmental management and increase climate resilience.
It focuses on delivering much needed housing diversity to encourage the right developments in the right places – this means more medium density dwellings closer to transport and activity hubs, offering more choice for all life stages.
It also ensures housing is close to jobs and transport options, facilities, services and amenities. This means that together, these systems can not only cope, but form the basis of a flourishing capital city.
The Plan has been finalised following a seven-week consultation process which received 38 formal submissions and also saw 136 people complete an online survey.
An implementation plan is now being developed, which is expected to commence in 2023.
To find out more visit the Greater Hobart Committee website at www.greaterhobart.tas.gov.au
Comments from the Committee Members:
Minister Guy Barnett MP, Chair of the Greater Hobart Committee, Tasmanian Government
“The Plan is the first strategic achievement of the Greater Hobart Committee, that is setting a Vision for the future of our capital city. It will ensure Hobart remains a compact city that better utilises existing infrastructure, develops new infrastructure when and where it will be needed. This Plan ensures a sustainable future, giving businesses and private sector confidence to grow and develop, while ensuring that growth provides homes, jobs, services and recreational opportunities that people of Hobart value and need.”
Lord Mayor Councillor Anna Reynolds, City of Hobart.
“It’s the first time we’ve done this kind of collaborative strategic planning for metro Hobart. I hope that it helps us to guide change in a sustainable way that protects the character and environment of our special city.”
Mayor Alderman Bec Thomas, Glenorchy City Council.
"We know that Greater Hobart has a pivotal role in the coming decades in taking care of the needs of our growing population."
Mayor Alderman Doug Chipman, from Clarence City Council:
“Clarence has been experiencing significant population growth over a long period of time and this plan will help to guide development and urban growth in the future. It will help us to ‘future-proof’ our city, by ensuring that there is greater interconnection through infrastructure and transport, as well as more diverse housing options.”
Mayor Councillor Paula Wriedt, Kingborough Council.
“The Greater Hobart Plan shows how transport, housing and precinct development can work together to accommodate projected population growth and residential demand.”
*The Greater Hobart Committee comprises the Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing (Chair), the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Community Services and Development and the Mayors of Clarence, Glenorchy, Hobart and Kingborough councils.