Central Hobart Plan
The City of Hobart and Tasmanian Government have been working in partnership with the community to develop a comprehensive plan to guide the future development of Central Hobart.
Hobart has experienced steady population growth over recent years and its population and employment are expected to increase even further.
The Central Hobart Plan will guide future growth in a way that will strengthen what's great about Hobart, what makes the city liveable and distinctive.
The Plan will provide recommendations for policies, strategies, development controls and projects to guide planning and sustainable growth. It addresses land use, built form, open space and infrastructure needs, and provides guidance for specific Precincts. It addresses key issues such as building heights, affordable and social housing, transport and accessibility and the need for more and improved open space.
The Plan development is now in its final stages with a final draft expected to go to Council for endorsement later in 2023.
Central Hobart area
The draft Central Hobart Plan covers 64 city blocks bounded by Davey Street to the south, Burnett Street to the north, the Brooker Highway to the east and Molle, Melville and Harrington streets to the west.
Plan development and community engagement
The development of the draft Plan has been undertaken in stages, following extensive project scoping, planning and analysis that occurred in 2019.
Stage 1 – Baseline Report
Initial work resulted in the production of a Baseline Report, which analysed the current conditions, issues and opportunities in the area and presented the economic, demographic and employment profile of Central Hobart, as well as a future projection of what Central Hobart might look like in twenty years' time.
Stage 2 – Discussion Paper
The Baseline Report served as a resource document to inform a series of discussions with the community across 2020, which gathered input for the preparation of a Discussion Paper. The discussion paper considered topics related to Central Hobart's land use, built form, public realm, connectivity and investment.
Following feedback on the Discussion Paper, additional work was undertaken in preparation for the draft Plan.
It incorporated input from State Agencies and Authorities including officers from the DSG, the State Planning Office, Department of Education, the Environment Protection Authority, TasNetworks, the Office of the Coordinator General, and the Office of Emergency Services Management as well as the Property Council, RACT, the Planning Institute of Australia, the Australian Institute of Architects and planning experts from UTAS.
The Urban Design Advisory Panel (UDAP) and City of Hobart subject matter experts made substantial contributions to the document with MGS Architects providing urban design principles, proposed controls, maps and diagrams into the draft Plan.
Stage 3 – draft Central Hobart Plan
On Monday 20 February 2023, Council endorsed the release of the draft Central Hobart Precincts Structure Plan (now known as the Central Hobart Plan) for the purpose of public exhibition and further stakeholder and community consultation.
Draft Central Hobart Plan
Consultation was held throughout April. There was extensive media coverage and promotion, including newspaper, e-newsletters, radio, postcard distribution and social media.
The City of Hobart's project team had close to 200 conversations at two community pop-up events.
Nearly 200 people registered to watch the Future Hobart: City Shaping Conversation, livestreamed online expert panel and Q&A. Watch the recording here: Future Hobart: City Shaping Conversation
Consultation on the draft Central Hobart Plan closed 30 April 2023.
Council received well over 200 written submissions, from individuals, community groups, institutions and government.
Thank you to all for talking to us, sharing your feedback and contributing your ideas. They will all greatly help to improve the CHP over the next few months, ahead of the Plan's presentation to Council later in 2023. A summary of the feedback received can be found in Stage 3 Engagement Report.
The project is conducted in partnership between the City of Hobart and the Tasmanian Government.