As Acting Lord Mayor of Hobart, I am proud to see our city taking the next step in shaping a future that reflects the values, needs and aspirations of our community. Today, I invite residents, businesses and visitors to help imagine what Augusta Road, upper Elizabeth Street and their surrounding streets could become through our Building Better Streets planning project.
This project is not about imposing a finished solution. It is about listening. It is about curiosity, creativity and ambition. Most of all, it is about people. We are asking you to share your hopes and dreams for these streets, because no idea is too big or too small—and every voice matters.
Augusta Road and upper Elizabeth Street are well known to those who live, work and travel through Hobart’s northern suburbs. They connect neighbourhoods, support local businesses and form part of daily routines for thousands of people. Yet they are also streets shaped by another era. Much of their character dates back more than a century, when tramways supported residential growth toward Lenah Valley. Remarkably, Augusta Road itself has changed very little since then—a testament to the durability of concrete, but also a reminder that cities must continue to evolve.
The challenge we now face is a 21st‑century one. Successful cities and liveable suburban areas require transport choices that are sustainable, cost‑effective and healthy. Better streets are not just conduits for traffic; they are places to walk, cycle, linger and connect. They support local amenity, encourage social interaction and contribute to safer, more welcoming neighbourhoods.
Acting Hobart Lord Mayor and Anglican Parish of New Town/Lenah Valley volunteer and Lenah Valley resident Ruth Thomas on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Augusta Road.
This work builds on a decade of partnership with our communities in the northern suburbs. Together we’ve delivered upgrades in the Lenah Valley retail precinct, renewed John Turnbull Park, revitalised the New Town retail precinct, and advanced the New Town Rivulet rewilding—projects that have made daily life a little safer, a little greener and a lot more welcoming. Each of those outcomes was shaped by local knowledge. The same will be true here.
Hobart City Council has been working toward this vision for some time. Through extensive community engagement, Council has endorsed a number of key strategies, including the Northern Suburbs Local Area Mobility Plan, the Hobart Transport Strategy, and most recently, the North Hobart Neighbourhood Plan. Alongside relevant Tasmanian Government plans, these documents point clearly toward a shared aspiration: streets that work better for people of all ages and abilities, whether they are walking, cycling, using public transport or driving.
Taken together, these strategies call for more detailed and place‑based planning in areas just like Augusta Road and upper Elizabeth Street. That is what this project sets out to do.
The first stage of the Building Better Streets project is focused entirely on listening. No decisions have been made about specific treatments or changes. Instead, we want to understand what the community values about these streets today, what is not working, and what could be possible in the future.
Let me be upfront about the philosophy guiding this project. This is fundamentally a people-first project. That means improvements for all transport users and the wider neighbourhood: safer crossings and accessible ramps; clearer, calmer vehicle movements; more comfortable conditions for people walking and cycling; better bus stop amenity and reliability; short-stay and loading arrangements for local businesses; and more trees, shade and places to pause. If we get these fundamentals right, everyone benefits—residents young and old, students, shop owners, commuters and weekend visitors alike.
To support this conversation, Council has launched a dedicated Hobart YourSay engagement page. It brings together background information, links to relevant Council and State Government strategies, and examples of completed projects in the Lenah Valley and New Town area over the past decade. Importantly, it also outlines how you can get involved—through public information sessions and a Stage One survey designed to capture your experiences, priorities and ideas.
Aerial map of project area, with Augusta Road highlighted.
If you live along these streets, own a business, commute through the area or simply care about Hobart’s future, your perspective is important. You may have ideas about safer crossings, improved footpaths, better cycling connections, greener streets, local gathering spaces or improved public transport access. You may have concerns about accessibility, parking or character. All of these views are valid, and all of them will help inform the next steps.
Once this initial feedback has been reviewed, Council will begin developing concept plans that respond directly to what we hear. These concepts will then be shared and refined through further engagement. This is an iterative process, and it relies on trust, transparency and participation.
Cities are strongest when communities help shape them. The Building Better Streets project is an opportunity not just to plan infrastructure, but to articulate a shared vision for how we want to live together. So I encourage you to take part, to be bold, and to dream. Whether your idea is practical or imaginative, modest or transformative, we want to hear it.
Because better streets begin with better conversations—and those conversations begin with you.
Dr Zelinda Sherlock
Acting Hobart Lord Mayor