David Hook and Jim Gandy reveal their vision for the Battery Point walkway

The idea is one which has been around for a decade: a walkway connecting Battery Point and Sandy Bay. Now, two residents want to bring it to life and they have a new vision to share. THEIR IDEA >>

Alternative Battery Point walkway design, retired Structural Engineer Jim Gandy, Hobart City Councillors Ryan Posselt and Mike Dutta and Economist David Hook. Picture: Chris Kidd

Two Battery Point residents are working on an alternative vision of the proposed Battery Point walkway, hoping the council will adopt a new design, which they claim would address the concerns stemming from the initial project.

The walkway, which would connect Sandy Bay to Battery Point was first proposed more than decade ago.

In October 2014, stage one of the walkway was approved by the Hobart City Council, but in June 2015 the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal refused the multimillion-dollar project following backlash.

Talk of the project was reignited last year by Hobart City councillor Mike Dutta, who called for the council to recommit to the project, which the council voted in favour of.

A report on the walkway, as a result of Mr Dutta’s motion, is due to be released in the coming week.

On Monday, Battery Point residents David Hook and Jim Gandy, who is a well known structural engineer revealed their preliminary plans for the walkway.

“We thought there must be a better solution to the walkway,” Mr Hook said.

“The main objections were around issues of visual impact, privacy and access to the water … the design proposed addresses each one of those three objections.

“It’s much more in keeping with the built form of the waterfront rather than impede it.”

Mr Gandy said the walkway would take a different route, from Marieville Esplanade to AJ Park, a route he believed would be more agreeable to residents.

The proposed route of the walkway.

“The original concept was for a concrete thing out on the water, supposedly to reduce visual and privacy issues, but it would do the opposite,” Mr Gandy said.

“It was a big lump of concrete – why not put it closer to the shore?

“We propose this walkway to follow the tidal zone … we have a rocky foreshore.”

Mr Gandy said different materials were also needed.

“My proposal is more like a national parks walkway, much like Montrose Foreshore, but we can make the balustrade less intrusive,” he said.

“It blends into the environment … we can provide all the residents with a little bridge.”

Mr Hook said their alternative design would also cost significantly less to build.

“The initial design from ten years ago was an estimate of $23.5m, our estimate with this approach would be closer to the $5m ballpark,” Mr Hook said.

Mr Dutta said it wouldn’t necessarily be a cost ratepayers had to wear.

“When you have something shovel-ready, it’s not coming from the ratepayers money, you can get it from the state government or federal government,” Mr Dutta said.

Councillor Ryan Posselt likened the design to a walkway in New South Wales.

Cr Ryan Posselt says the proposed Battery Point walkway could look like the Red Bluff walkway on Lake Macquarie, NSW.

“This design is more consistent with a walkway in Newcastle, called the Red Bluff walkway which is an unobtrusive design, no concrete and it blends in,” he said.

Mr Hook and Mr Gandy have set up a group called the Friends of Battery Point Walkway.

The two are encouraging other members of the community to join the conversation by emailing [e-mail]