Battery Point Walkway: ‘Positive’ reception for new proposal as Hobart City Council mulls options
The pair behind the latest proposal for a Battery Point walkway have left a meeting with the Hobart City Council feeling emboldened that the project could one day go ahead.
Tasmania
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The pair behind a bold plan for a new Battery Point walkway have left a meeting with the Hobart City Council feeling optimistic that their design could finally spark action on the project, which has taken on various forms over the past 30 years.
David Hook, a former economist with the World Bank, and Jim Gandy, an engineer, revealed their vision for the walkway, which would begin at Castray Esplanade and end at Errol Flynn Reserve, in July.
On Monday evening, Mr Hook and Mr Gandy presented their design to the council in a 20-minute briefing, unveiling artist’s impressions of the project and explaining its specifications and estimated costs.
Mr Hook said 10 of the 12 total councillors attended the briefing and the mood in the room was “very, very positive”.
“People were pretty impressed, I think, and particularly given that Jim and I are just local residents and just doing this on a voluntary basis,” he said.
“I think they were quite impressed with what we’ve come up with.”
Mr Hook and Mr Gandy have estimated that the 1.13km-long walkway would cost about $5 million to build.
It would be 3.5m-wide, with a shared cycle and pedestrian pathway, and would be made of fibre-reinforced plastic, while the balustrading would be made of timber.
Mr Gandy has anticipated the walkway would take 8–12 weeks to build.
One of the key selling points of the new proposal is the fact it would divert around the back of the Battery Point Slipyards and would use lightweight bascule bridges that would open up parts of the walkway at the click of a remote, allowing slipway owners continued access to the water.
Mr Hook said there would be gates on either side of the walkway where it intersected with the six jetties along the route, accessible only to the property owners.
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said she believed the proposal provided “a very practical and elegant solution to a piece of infrastructure that so many people in Hobart see as a no-brainer”.
“It’s a breath of fresh air to have such a practical and positive proposal and drawing on the expertise of Hobart residents who have very deep skills and experience in these kinds of projects and they’ve provided all of that thinking work to the city for nothing,” she said.
Ms Reynolds said council officers would now seek to have the proposal reviewed by consultants and she expected they would make a recommendation to the council about the potential next steps for the project “early next year”.
Incat founder Bob Clifford, who lives “part-time” at Battery Point and owns a slipway there, said while he was “not opposed” to the idea of a walkway, he didn’t think “everyone is going to agree with it”.
“I would think they’re optimistic in thinking they can build that for $5 million. Probably the bridges alone would cost that,” he said.
“I have some suspicion that it’ll be a lot more expensive than they’re saying.”
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