Hobart City Council’s CBD smoking ban passes first hurdle

A smoking ban on footpaths surrounding the Royal Hobart Hospital will be enforced under a bold plan from Hobart City Council.

A SMOKING ban on footpaths surrounding the Royal Hobart Hospital will be enforced under a bold plan from Hobart City Council.

The council will also consider lobbying the State Government to increase the smoking

distance from doorways from 3 metres to 5 metres — which would effectively ban smoking on many narrow streets in Hobart.

This week’s planning committee tightened the council’s butt-out plan.

A large block in the CBD encompassing Liverpool, Argyle, Collins and Murray streets will be smoke free.

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Now that ban will stretch out to Campbell St and include the hospital block too.

Hobart Deputy Lord Mayor Helen Burnet said the council wanted to work with the State Government to implement its smoking ban around the hospital to send a strong message to the public.

“Sometimes the council needs to lead on these matters,” he said

“There is a bit of a grey area on what is council’s footpaths and State’s on Liverpool St.”

“But time and time again the front of the Liverpool St side of the hospital is brought up as an area that the general public want to see an improvement.”

Franklin Square, Soldiers Memorial Oval Community Hub and The University Rose Gardens have also been earmarked as new smoke-free zones.

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A plan to have a small designated smoking area on the Elizabeth St side of Franklin Square was quashed.

“It was sending a mixed message to smokers and the public,” Cr Burnet said.

“You can’t isolate people from the passive effect of smoking.”

The council will, through the Local Government Association of Tasmania, lobby the Government to increase the smoking distance from doorways from 3 metres to 5 metres.

“The committee bumped that up to 5 metres which is in line with regulation with Queensland,” Cr Burnet said.

“That would make Collins St and those narrow frontages smoke free.”

If successful, the council will hire a project and enforcement officer for the first 12 months to hit the pavement and issue fines.

Heart Foundation Tasmania chief executive Graeme Lynch backed the proposal.

The council will vote on the ban next Monday.

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