Walkway plan near waterfront houses passes vote

By Sophie Jaggers

Topic:Local Government

In short:

Hobart City Council has voted to continue exploring a proposal to build a walkway behind several waterside mansions that would connect Sandy Bay and the Hobart CBD.

The council's chief executive recommended council abandon the proposal due to its inability to terminate Crown licences for private jetties and boatsheds.

What's next?

The council has passed a motion requesting its CEO obtain copies of the Crown licences, so their break clauses can be evaluated.

Hobart City Council has voted against ditching a proposal for a waterfront walkway connecting Sandy Bay and the Hobart CBD.

Council chief executive Michael Stretton recommended council discontinue progressing the proposal, due to its reliance on modifying Crown licences held by property owners — a requirement council does not have the authority to execute.

A proposed harbourside walkway has been a subject of controversy for decades, with proposals dating to the 1990s.

Proposed route for the Battery Point walkway, put forward by community group Friends of Battery Point Walkway. (Supplied: Friends of Battery Point Walkway)

The council green-lit an offshore walkway in 2014, but the proposal was discontinued after the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal (now TASCAT) upheld an appeal against the development approval.

The latest proposal, put forward by Friends of Battery Point Walkway Group, would see a walkway extend from AJ White Park in Battery Point to Errol Flynn Reserve in Sandy Bay.

The proposal will continue to be explored after the council voted down the recommendation to discontinue progressing it, six votes to five.

Councillors Mike Dutta, Ryan Posselt, Gemma Kitsos, Ben Lohberger, Bill Harvey and Acting Lord Mayor Zerlinda Sherlock voted against abandoning the walkway.

Councillors Louise Elliot, Will Coats and John Kelly and alderman Louise Bloomfield and Marti Zucco voted to move away from the project.

The proposal would see a walkway built around the waterside mansions. (Nearmap)

'Strong opposition' from property owners

In his report recommending councillors abandon the proposal, Mr Stretton said council investigations found a "strong strategic rationale" for a walkway, and that the concept was popular within the community.

A survey of 400 Hobart residents commissioned by the council in 2024 found 89 per cent were in support of a Battery Point waterfront walkway.

Also informing the CEO's recommendation was a council-commissioned peer review of the design, completed by GHD in 2024.

An artist's impression for the walkway. (Supplied)

The consultants found while the project would be "a valuable addition" to the city's transport network, the design was "overly complex", with the inland section of the route "unsuitable for cyclists".

According to Mr Stretton's report, the "key issue" impeding its development was the route's reliance on land subject to Crown licences issued for private jetties, slipways and boatsheds.

Council engagement with affected property owners found there was "strong opposition" to the proposal, with "no realistic prospect" of owners voluntarily agreeing to change or surrender their licences.

"Council has no authority to alter or extinguish the licences, and the Tasmanian government is not presently considering action to alter or terminate existing Crown licence arrangements for the purpose of facilitating the walkway," the report reads.

On Monday, Minister for Parks and Heritage Nick Duigan said council must "do the work" to engage with affected residents.

"We encourage [Hobart City Council] to continue investigating options that minimise impacts on existing Crown licence holders, while engaging directly with affected residents," he said.

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Council decision a 'win' for proposal proponents

Friends of Battery Point Walkway Group spokesperson and co-designer of the proposal David Hook said the outcome of Monday's meeting was "a great result for the people of Hobart".

"We've got 89 per cent public support [in] Hobart, and it's something that people have campaigned year in and year out for many years to see," Mr Hook said.

"So, I think everyone will be thrilled by the result tonight."

The proposed walkway has faced pushback from local property owners. (Supplied)

Following the vote against the recommendation, councillor Mike Dutta moved to ask the council CEO to obtain copies of the Crown licences so the council could evaluate their break clauses.

It was also passed six votes to five.

During debate on the motion, Mr Stretton said break clauses were included in licences issued under the Crown's current template; however, they may not exist in older licences.

Hobart councillors have voted to continue pursuing a proposal for a waterfront walkway around Battery Point. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)

Mr Hook said 14 Crown licences were held along the proposed walkway route.

"Council can review those licences, see what the clauses are, see whether they actually include the standard break clause, which all contemporary licences are supposed to include, or whether there are some unusual licences.

"If there are some unusual licences which don't include break clauses or include special terms and conditions, then I think that'll be of huge public interest as well," he said.

The walkway proposal will continue to be investigated. (Nearmap)

Mr Hook says following October's council elections, he wants to see the lord mayor arrange a joint team with the Tasmanian government to deliver the project.

"They should work together to deliver this project for the people of Hobart," he said.

A parliamentary petition lodged on Friday by council mayoral candidate Tiffany Ashdown and sponsored by independent MP Helen Burnet calling on the government to review the Crown licence arrangements has garnered more than 550 signatures.

Header image: An artist's impression of the proposed Battery Point walkway seen from above, designed by Hobart engineer Jim Gandy. (Supplied)

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