Greater Glenorchy Plan set to be endorsed by council to pave way for future development in Glenorchy, Moonah and Claremont

Beyond Hobart’s flannelette curtain is set for a massive makeover – with suburbs like Moonah, Glenorchy and Claremont set to be bustling hubs with outdoor dining, green spaces and light rail. See the plans + pictures >>

• Glenorchy City Council launches Beyond the Curtain campaign to find municipality’s modern identity
• Glenorchy City Council’s Beyond the Curtain campaign delves deep into the community to find municipality’s modern identity

GLENORCHY City Council is set to endorse an ambitious new masterplan which will guide future development in its three major CBDs over the next 20 years.

At its meeting on Monday, the council has been recommended to approve the Greater Glenorchy Plan, which includes dozens of specific plans for Glenorchy, Moonah and Claremont.

Over six weeks last year, the council collaborated with local advertising agency The20 to create a master story for the municipality through its Beyond The Curtain campaign by speaking with 100 residents face-to-face.

Further community engagement followed before the creation of three precinct plans.

2040 Glenorchy Central – The plan envisages the development of this new sub-precinct (where Glenorchy Central and carpark is currently situated), which offers new retail/ food and beverage opportunities and commercial office space in a safe pedestrian-friendly environment.

Potential plans for the Glenorchy CBD include:

• Extend and reorientate council forecourt
• Redevelop Glenorchy Central precinct
• New pedestrian connections to future transit hub and KGV
• Limit retail and commercial uses outside of core centre
• Encourage ‘high street’ built form along Main Rd
• Remove carparking and create new pocket parks
• Consider rezoning to encourage infill residential development

2040 Moonah Carpark – The plan envisages providing more space for the community to gather in Moonah and hold pop-up events as well as more pockets of green known as ‘parklets’ for a range of community groups including families and young people – the fastest growing demographic for the Moonah area. Laneway infrastructure would be upgraded to provide both pedestrians and cyclists with a safer, more accessible, high-amenity environment befitting the proximity to the future integrated transit hub.

The Moonah CBD precinct plan actions include:

• Improve pedestrian link from Main Rd to future transit hub
• Create new urban park adjacent to amenities in Moonah carpark
• Encourage activation of existing arcades and laneways
• Upgrade/revitalise Hopkins and Albert Rd core pedestrian zones
• Investigate reclaiming carparking to create new urban park and plaza for daily and night-time use and events within the Hopkins St car park.

2040 Claremont Village Green – The plan envisages a new future for the Village Green of Claremont. A large public space with both outdoor and indoor community spaces, playgrounds and informal gathering spaces adjacent to the future-activated transit hub and opposite an expanded retail and food/beverage precinct in the heart of Claremont.

The potential Claremont CBD precinct plan actions include:

• Upgrade Village Green with new public space/playground, amphitheatre, trees and gardens
• New bus transit zone to link with transit corridor
• Upgrade Main Rd with streetscape improvements
• Improve safety of crossing at Box Hill and install public art

2040 Barry St – The plan envisages Barry St would provide new mixed-use development with a mixture of shop-top housing/ commercial floor space offered with ground-floor activating retail and food/beverage opportunities. These developments would assist in meeting identified medium-density housing shortages, as well as projected commercial floor space needs.

Glenorchy Mayor Kristie Johnston said with an investment pipeline of $1.8 billion over the next 10 years, the council wanted to create a map for sustainable development.

“We don’t want to lose the character and uniqueness of our cities and who we are in the process,” she said.

“The community has really engaged with the process and I think people are genuinely excited about the possibilities and recognising we’re trying to manage our growth in a sustainable way.”

Ald Johnston said the activation of the northern suburbs rail corridor was critical to the Greater Glenorchy Plan.

2040 Moonah Arts Precinct – The plan envisages new medium-density development opposite the MAC, which would assist in meeting identified medium-density housing shortages in the Moonah CBD.

“We cannot have the kind of vision this document talks about without having light rail,” she said.

“We need this now, we can’t wait until 2040. In all three precinct plans, rail features heavily and it encourages increased density around the corridor as well encouraging further commercial activity in the vicinity.

“The time frame for light rail will have a very big impact on how we roll out the precinct plans.”

The development of the Greater Glenorchy Plan has been funded through a $5 million, no-interest loan from the state government, but funds for implementing the plans are yet to be secured.