Battery Point walkway: Proponents ‘extremely positive’ about project’s chances of going ahead

Nearly a year after the Hobart City Council was briefed on a new proposal for a Battery Point walkway, work is quietly under way to get the project off the ground.

Fiona Abercrombie-Howroyd, a transport planner, near the proposed start point of the Battery Point walkway. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

One of the proponents behind a planned Battery Point walkway says he is “extremely positive” about its prospects of being built and believes it shouldn’t be seen as a setback that the project could cost an additional $5m to get off the ground.

David Hook, a former economist with the World Bank, and Jim Gandy, a structural engineer, briefed Hobart councillors on their vision for the 1.1km-long, 3.5m-wide walkway last November, telling them that it would cost about $5m to bring to fruition.

Beginning at AJ White Park and proceeding along the foreshore to Marieville Esplanade, the walkway would feature a shared cycle and pedestrian pathway and be constructed from fibre-reinforced plastic. It would also include timber balustrading.

A new vision for the Battery Point walkway, created by Jim Gandy and David Hook. Picture: Supplied

Mr Hook said the community response to the proposal had been “quite astonishing”, with “basically overwhelming public support”.

Following last year’s briefing, the Hobart City Council commissioned engineering consultancy firm GHD to review the walkway plan.

The Mercury understands the final report found the project would cost about $10m to build, rather than $5m.

But Mr Hook said this was not a deterrent and that the return on investment for the walkway was “incredibly high”, as was its cost-benefit ratio.

“Everywhere where these [walkways] have been put in, the response has just been overwhelmingly positive and I think in Hobart, with all the amazing history and beauty of the Battery Point foreshore area, I just think this will be an incredibly amazing attraction for Hobart to have, both for Hobartians, and for people visiting Hobart,” he said.

Fiona Abercrombie-Howroyd, a transport planner and member of the Friends of Battery Point Walkway group, has lived in the area previously and believes this latest iteration of the walkway project is “terrific” because it “mimics the coastline”.

A new vision for the Battery Point walkway, created by Jim Gandy and David Hook. Picture: Supplied

“It’s a real city-building thing, in my opinion,” she said.

“We want people to be able to enjoy the city as much as possible without having to get into a car. So people who are coming from the city or coming from [Sandy Bay], we get them out of the car, we get them into active transport and using that link into town – and that’s what I’m all about.”

The council is now meeting with property owners along the Battery Point foreshore to gather feedback about the proposal.

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the council was “doing a range of things to advance this important project for the city”.

“Council will be considering a further report on the next steps before the end of the year,” she said.

Originally published as Battery Point walkway: Proponents ‘extremely positive’ about project’s chances of going ahead