Hobart City Council revisits what went wrong with original Battery Point walkway plans

Councillors are attempting to right the wrongs of an ill-fated plan to create a walkway from the esplanade to the city, revealing mistakes from the past they hope to avoid. HAVE YOUR SAY >>

Hobart City Councillors are attempting to right the wrongs of an ill-fated plan to create a walkway between Marieville Esplanade and the city.

The council will seek advice from the CEO on associated costs of designing new Battery Point Foreshore walkway after a motion brought by Councillor Mike Dutta on Tuesday was passed.

In October 2014, stage one of the Battery Point walkway was approved at council, but in June 2015 the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal refused the multimillion-dollar project following backlash.

The councillors signed City Deal plans in 2019 to allocate $500,000 towards the walkway, which would be used by bike riders, scooter users, commuters, locals and tourists.

“In 2019 it was in our budget for that amount, and then because of Covid it has dropped off,” lord mayor Anna Reynolds said at Tuesday’s meeting.

An artist's impression of the plan for a new $2 million off-shore waterfront walkway and cycleway between the Battery Point slipway and Marieville Esplanade in Sandy Bay

She said many of the original items presented at the tribunal were successful the first time, and said the initial issues could be addressed through improved design.

Deputy lord mayor Helen Burnet said there was once considerable support for the project.

“One of the reasons for refusal I think was for the exit point off the bridge and onto the road system that was a problem, so there was a design fault there, and that’s something that could be tinkered with and actually improved.”

But Alderman Simon Behrakis said the impact of a walkway would be unfair on waterside Battery Point homeowners.

“I don’t think this is the time for us to be even considering such a thing, given how summarily this was rejected at the tribunal, given that we have some real issues facing this city and I think this is a bit of a side venture that members of the community I don’t think are even really calling for.”

According to Mercury reports, a council report undertaken in 2009 found the “overwhelming majority” of Hobartians supported the walkway.

Shipyards in Battery Point that could have possibly been cut off had the initially proposed walkway been built. Picture Nikki Davis-Jones.

Alderman Jeff Briscoe has been one of the most prolific advocates for the project over the last 20 years.

He said the reason the project failed was because the council did not prepare adequately for the appeal.

“We didn’t prepare enough on the public interest, public benefit when it went before the tribunal,” he said at Tuesday night’s meeting.

“We lost that appeal because we didn’t have enough public information of the benefit to the public.”

Alderman Marti Zucco, who has long been sceptical about the project, said the matter had cost the council thousands, citing the amenity and visual impact on nearby property owners.

Council revisits plans for controversial Hobart walkway

THE controversial Battery Point walkway – first proposed decades ago – could soon be back on the drawing board.

The Hobart City Council will next week consider a motion from Alderman Mike Dutta asking for the CEO to provide a report on the best way for council to “revisit and recommit to the Battery Point river walkway”.

“The Battery Point walkway can become an iconic feature of the city providing an alternative mode of active travel from Sandy Bay to the city,” Mr Dutta said.

“With the proposed development in the UTAS master plan of the potential of 2500 homes, increase of population and traffic, I think this is an appropriate time for the council to revisit this matter.

“The mood and climate is right.

“If a report is presented to the council and we are given a clear recommendation from staff that another option is visible then we can decide either it’s viable or not.”

Mr Dutta said the walkway “had its genesis in the 1990s” and was advocated by Alderman Jeff Briscoe.

“It was approved by the full council 11 votes to 1 and had very strong community support which may have increased.

“Unfortunately Tasmania’s planning appeal tribunal ruled against the council and in favour of the 11 residents who appealed and this project has been shelved for a number of years.”

The first stage of the walkway from Castray Esplanade to Marieville Esplanade was approved by council in 2014 and its cost is now likely to be more than $20m.

Mr Dutta wants the CEO to look at the cost of a new design and ways to fund it.

He said the Hobart City Deal, signed in 2019, had committed $500,000 to progress the walkway.

“I would expect opposition from those residents because they view it from a different perspective and they might feel an intrusion or invasion. “Such projects will always cause division and people are entitled to present their positions and let the empire decide.”

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the motion was “an important reminder that we need to get on with designing a project that is right for the environment and for the future”.

“In the last 20 years many other cities have received state and federal funding for river and coastal walkways, because they’re such an attraction for locals and visitors,” Ms Reynolds.

“Recreational walking is Australia’s top sporting activity and investing in new walking destinations is part of recognising and supporting this type of physical activity.”

A UTAS spokesman said “repurposing” the Sandy Bay campus would require significant new infrastructure investment, but the walkway was a matter for the local community and Hobart City Council.