Electric transformers to ‘blight’ Hobart’s skyline, residents warn

Residents are up in arms about the big, “ugly”, high voltage transformers which could be rolled out across Hobart’s skyline. PLAN + WHAT THEY WILL LOOK LIKE >>

Residents are up in arms about the “big”, “ugly”, high voltage transformers which will be rolled out across Hobart’s skyline.

Hobart City Council say TasNetworks is in the planning stages for around 130 transformers and substations to be mounted on large concrete poles around Hobart.

The plans have alarmed the residents of Pillinger Street in Dynnyrne, where locals are circulating a petition against the development.

Chief among the complainants is Frank Liu, who said these “humongous” transformers would blight the skyline and despoil Hobart’s heritage values.

Mr Liu said it would make Hobart look like a backwards third-world country, since cities in developed nations put their cables underground.

What Hobart's new transformers will look like. Picture: TasNetworks

“Putting such a big transformer on a pole is absolutely contrary to the basic principle of the landscape design, keeping a clear skyline, not to mention the safety concerns,” Mr Liu said.

“I don’t know how TasNetworks can come up with such an insane decision of replacing the old humungous transformer with a pole mounted one without any consultation and any council approval.”

However a TasNetworks spokesman said the transformers were only the size of a wheely bin, an already standard feature on many poles around Tasmania.

Mr Liu said neither he, nor anyone he knows on Pillinger St, had been told about the incoming development.

Hobart City Council mayor Anna Reynolds said councillors hadn’t been told about it either, which she said was very concerning given the sheer scope of the project.

She said she later discovered that council staff had been briefed by TasNetworks, but that Alderman hadn’t.

“It seems like an extensive number of infrastructure projects right across the city, and that’s the kind of thing we should be made aware of,” Cr Reynolds said.

“We need to be briefed, and we need confidence that there’s a good process of informing and working with the neighbours of this infrastructure.”

Cr Reynolds has arranged for councillors to receive a briefing on this matter.

A TasNetworks spokesperson said Pillinger Street’s current ground transformer was built in 1967 and in dire need of an upgrade.

BUZZ: Pillinger Street's old transformer was built in 1967 and makes a constant humming noise. Picture: Kenji Sato

“The safety and reliability of our network is our number one priority. As part of this commitment, we replace old assets when they reach end-of-life,” the spokesperson said.

“The new Dynnyrne transformer’s crucial, and will replace an asset that’s more than 50 years old. We’re using the best and safest location, and the community’s been consulted on why the work is necessary.

“Hobart and surrounding suburbs benefit from a reliable energy supply. The assets that deliver this are a necessary part of any urban landscape.”

The spokesman said they plan to replace around 20 to 30 outdated transformers per year to keep Tasmanians safe and prevent outages.

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