Future works in Midtown

Recently the City released the draft Central Hobart Plan (CHP) which proposes a number of built form controls, open space improvements and other actions to improve the liveability of our city centre over the next two decades. Within the CHP Midtown plays an important role. The small and boutique businesses, the heritage shopfronts, and the emerging night-time economy are all highlighted in the CHP as objectives in the newly identified Innovation Precinct along with Midtown’s role in providing new opportunities for a vibrant city.

Midtown will also form part of a wider Elizabeth Street Vision Plan - a key action identified in the CHP. Looking at Elizabeth Street as a whole, will allow the future of the street to be explored in a way that considers how people and vehicles move through the space, as well as opportunities to improve the quality of the street. The Street Vision Plan will be developed in collaboration with stakeholders over the coming year and will be informed by the previous work of Midtown Project Action Team and the results of the Midtown extended outdoor dining trial.

The results of the extended outdoor dining trial will be considered by the Council prior to end of June 2023. This evaluation includes a number of factors including the outcomes of the community and business/property engagement, Place Score report, car parking demand and use data, maintenance considerations, use of the space and a technical assessment of temporary uphill bike lane.

The Elizabeth Street Vision is expected to take at least two years to develop to a stage where a detailed design will be ready to deliver.

Safer Midtown Pedestrian Crossing

The busy intersection of Elizabeth and Patrick Streets is now safer for pedestrians and drivers following completion of a major upgrade.

The upgrade includes a raised pedestrian crossing on the left side of Elizabeth Street (heading north) and kerb extensions which are designed to improve accessibility and reduce the risk of collisions.

This project was jointly funded by the Australian Government’s Black Spot Program and the City of Hobart.

Access to the UTAS Toilets

The University of Tasmania (UTAS) has ceased public access to the toilet facilities located in their Melville Street building. We understand that is driven by the need to provide a secure staff and student environment.

Unfortunately the City does not have authority under the Development Deed or Planning provisions to enforce the retention of this public toilet. UTAS has requested the City to remove the signage to reduce any confusion in regard to the public toilet provision in this area.
he City provides excellent public toilet facilities at the Hobart Central Car Park, located close to Midtown at 107 Murray Street. These facilities are open Monday to Friday: 7.45am - 6.30pm, Saturday: 8.30am - 5.30pm and Sunday: 7.45am - 4.30pm.

More information about the City's public toilets can be found on the City of Hobart website: https://www.hobartcity.com.au/City-services/Public-toilets

Central Hobart Precincts Plan

Over the past few months the City has been engaging on a discussion paper to inform the development of a Central Hobart Precincts Structure Plan.

The purpose of the plan is to guide future growth to strengthen what’s great about Hobart and build on its position as a vibrant, flourishing, sustainable and globally appealing capital city, without compromising those qualities that already make the city unique.

It will also look at how we provide open space, and the community, transport and commercial infrastructure required to meet the needs of a growing population. The plan will cover 64 blocks in Central Hobart, including those within the Elizabeth Street Retail Precinct.

More information about this project can be found at Your Say Hobart

What does this mean for the Elizabeth Street Retail Precinct (Midtown)?

The Central Hobart Precincts Structure Plan will establish a broader context in which Midtown will sit. We want to make sure that whatever decisions are made about Central Hobart complement and build on the extensive planning and community involvement undertaken in planning Midtown's future.

In May 2021, we announced that we had secured funding to construct block one of the Midtown Precinct (between Melville to Brisbane Streets). While the City had planned to commence construction in 2022, through our work around the Central Hobart Precincts Structure Plan, we are undertaking a holistic look at Elizabeth Street's functions, including how to improve connections from the waterfront to North Hobart.

A Master Plan for Elizabeth Street was flagged in the CHPSP discussion paper and will likely be a key recommendation in the CHPSP proper. This project will take into account of all the engagement and design concept work done on Midtown to date and we anticipate that the fundamentals of the current design, focusing on improved pedestrian amenity, will largely remain the same.

Given this work, we are temporarily pausing proceedings in Midtown to complete further investigative work. This pause does not change our commitment to Midtown, and the City will be finalising the design for Block 1 in 2023 to be ready for construction in 2024.

Patrick Street Intersection

Importantly, planned pedestrian crossing improvements at the Elizabeth/Patrick Street intersection will continue, with works commencing this spring.

These works will make it safer for pedestrians to cross Patrick Street at Elizabeth Street. Improvements include: level pedestrian crossings, kerb extensions and plantings.

Midtown Expanded Outdoor Dining Trial - Evaluation

The program provided temporary expanded outdoor dining and street seating space, greening and bicycle racks in Elizabeth Street between Melville Street and Brisbane Street. Many cities worldwide delivered expanded outdoor dining areas to support the hospitality sector to continue trading safely during the pandemic.

This pilot program has provided the opportunity to learn how providing more outdoor dining space can contribute to city life, support local businesses to recover and prosper in the COVID-19 environment, and assist with the ongoing need for physical distancing. Since May 2021, the City has been collecting community feedback on the trial via an online survey. The survey has been promoted through an on-site QR code, and so far has received 685 responses.

We are now directly approaching business operators and building owners for their feedback on the dining decks from a business perspective. The survey area includes all business owners/operators and property owners in the blocks bounded by Bathurst, Patrick, Murray and Campbell Streets.

The Department of State Growth is also commissioning PlaceScore to follow up its initial ‘place value’ assessment, undertaken prior to the installation of the outdoor dining areas.

The evaluation of the Expanded Outdoor Dining Trial in Midtown will also include consideration of the following:

• Micro-mobility trial data;
• Human movement data (using mobile phone data to understand how people move around the city);
• A technical review of the current temporary bike lane trialled as part of this project;
• Car parking demand and use data;
• Maintenance considerations and occupancy/use.

What will the evaluation results be used for?

The results of this trial will help us to understand whether additional outdoor street activation, including outdoor dining, can contribute to city life, improve the overall vibrancy of a street, and, importantly, encourage people to spend more time in the block and support Midtown's various local businesses.

The trial has also provided the opportunity to test many of the design concepts developed in the longer-term streetscape upgrade, prior to final design and future construction.

This will include looking at how we can best use the street and road real estate. Considerations will include footpath widths, green spaces, outdoor dining areas, parking (including drop off and loading zones) and other mobility needs, such as public transport, cars, bicycles, and an increasing micro-mobility demand.

The above considerations will ensure that we maximise the effectiveness of the limited street width (from building edge to building edge) to support a thriving inner-city area. More broadly, we will use the results to inform the general guidelines for outdoor dining in Hobart, including the provision of on-street dining spaces, where the footpaths cannot accommodate dining provision

Funding Announced for Stage One

In December last year, the Council endorsed the Midtown concept as a framework for future street development. We are so happy to announce that funding has now been secured to provide streetscape improvements in Elizabeth Street between Melville and Brisbane Streets.

The funding announcement follows the University of Tasmania and City of Hobart signing a 10-year agreement through which the University will pay the equivalent of rates on its CBD properties and additional infrastructure contributions. The funding for the Elizabeth Street projects is one of the first actions under the agreement.

Detailed design will be developed this year. The current trial of expanded footpaths and uphill bike lane will provide useful input to the design process, and construction is planned to commence in 2022.

Patrick Street Intersection Safety Improvements

Design is underway for safety improvements to the intersection of Elizabeth and Patrick Streets. This project recently received funding from the Australian Government for road safety initiatives.

The upgrade will make it safer for pedestrians to cross Patrick Street. The preliminary design includes a raised and level pedestrian crossing, a wider median island, kerb extensions and plantings.

Information including the proposed design and construction methodology will soon be sent out to businesses and residents in the immediate area and other key stakeholders. Construction is expected to commence in the coming months.

Expanded Outdoor Dining Trial

If you've been in Midtown recently you may have noticed the expanded al fresco areas providing space for people to sit, gather, chat, enjoy a drink, lunch or coffee and spend time in Midtown.

These al fresco areas provide an additional 80m2 of expanded footpath available for outdoor dining, 39 planter boxes, 24 timber bench seats and four new bike racks.

We'll be monitoring the facilities over the year and learnings will help guide the final streetscape design. In the meantime we'd love to know what you think.

Are the new spaces contributing to a more welcoming street that encourages people to visit and spend time? Creating fun and unique identity for the street? Making the street more pedestrian friendly? These were all desired outcomes for Midtown identified during community engagement in 2019.

Please share your thoughts via email or look out for a survey coming soon.

Vibrance Festival achieves public art outcomes for the precinct

The City of Hobart has commissioned four new Urban Art Walls in the Midtown precinct as part of Vibrance Festival in February this year. The festival saw 11 murals created by 17 artists and brought a full program of activities and activations to the Midtown and North Hobart precincts.

The Midtown murals are located at The Stagg (Alice Cooley), Mother India (Paul Eggins), Shambles (Jasper Kelly) and The Tasmanian Health Service (Takira Simon-Brown), with an additional mural painted by Sarah Wells at 108 Bathurst St in celebration of International Womens Day. One of these murals was supported by a mentorship program that paired up Tasmanian Aboriginal artist, Takira Simon-Brown, with experienced street artist, TOPSK.

The murals, which now form part of a collection dotted through the streetscape of Midtown up to North Hobart, encourage walking and bring vibrancy, colour and a sense of place.

This public art project responds to recommendations developed by the Project Action Team which spoke of a desire for local artists to use existing underutilised spaces to enliven the public realm.

Image: KreamArt painting a mural for Vibrance Festival 2021

Concept designs endorsed by Council

At the Council meeting on 7 December 2020 Council endorsed the draft concept design for the Elizabeth Street Midtown Retail Precinct project as a framework for future streetscape development in the project area. This milestone comes after an extensive two year consultation period. We extend our thanks all Midtown stakeholders who participated in the engagement over this period – with a special thanks to the Project Action Team (PAT) – all busy people who volunteered significant time to work together collaboratively.

The draft concept design responds to the PAT's shared vision for Midtown co-designed with local traders, residents and property owners. The design re-imagines Elizabeth Street (between Melville and Warwick Streets) as a more welcoming, accessible and people-focused main street with better conditions for walking and cycling, spaces to sit and rest, greenery, street furniture and public art.

The most recent public consultation period in October 2020 revealed 71% of respondents being supportive of the overall concept design. Feedback both for and against the concept design was captured in the engagement summary report which was considered by the Council in making the decision to endorse the concept design. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this process and providing constructive feedback on the concept design.

When will it be built?

As previously communicated, Council is not currently in a position to fund construction for the project, however project planning is continuing so that the project will be 'shovel ready', for when new funding opportunities arise. If funding became available, construction of block one could start in 2022.

In the meantime, work will continue on the detailed design, costing, and implementation planning for the project. A further report is to be provided to Council next year with an implementation outline, including funding sources, cost estimate, financial implications and proposed timing of any on-ground works.

Patrick Street Intersection

Funding for safety improvements to the intersection at Elizabeth Street and Patrick Street has been secured though the Australian Government Black Spot Program. Design work for this improvement is underway, with implementation planned for the first half of 2022. Futher consultation will occur with stakeholders in this area soon.

Vibrance Festival is an arts and music festival that celebrates street art and urban culture. Vibrance Festival returns to Hobart over 7 days from 22-28 February 2021 showcasing 20+ artists including some amazing Tasmanian talent painting murals live at various sites along Elizabeth Street. Events will be staged in Midtown, from Melville Street and extending right up to North Hobart.

The festival will focus on the painting of large-scale murals by Tasmanian artists, but will also include live music, street art tours, local food & beverage offerings as well as special pop-up events

Expect live music, skateboarding demos, street art tours, markets, fairs, and food.

Stay tuned to the festival website for more details on the event program, the lineup of artists and presale for ticketed events.

Thanks to those who have participated in the project’s engagement to date, and for your recent feedback to the draft concept design. Your comments and contributions will now be reported to the Council for its consideration.

The report of the feedback will be available to view on the agenda of the City Infrastructure Committee November 2020 meeting from COB tonight – at this webpage:

http://hobart.infocouncil.biz/

The report presents the results of the survey that was conducted through October, and will be discussed by the committee on Wednesday evening 25 November 2020. You can tune in to the meeting which will be livestreamed on the City of Hobart YouTube channel from 5.15pm.

Tune in to the meeting here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrIBiZ0bXHUfnOAj8OAxqtA?view_as=subscriber

We’ve heard lots of views and have aimed to capture a true record of those views in the report. If you feel that your views have not been sufficiently captured, and that you have more say, there are two additional pathways open to you.

1) Email elected members
You can email your elected members to let them know – as a group electedmembers@hobartcity.com.au.

Or to the individual elected members on the City Infrastructure Committee -

Councillor Harvey (chair) cr.harvey@hobartcity.com.au
Lord Mayor Councillor Reynolds lord.mayor@hobartcity.com.au
Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Burnet cr.burnet@hobartcity.com.au
Councillor Ewin cr.ewin@hobartcity.com.au
Alderman Behrakis ald.behrakis@hobartcity.com.au

2) Make a deptuation
Alternatively, you can request to make a deputation to the committee. This is a process where members of the public are given five minutes to address the Committee in relation to a report. Committee meetings are currently by Zoom and are broadcast on YouTube, and recorded. The committee chair is required to approve any requests for deputations.

If you would like to consider applying to make deputation, please contact Council Support Officer, Belinda Herbert to discuss on 6238 2721 or herbertb@hobartcity.com.au

Once the City Infrastructure Committee has considered the report, it will then be considered by the full Council, where it will make a decision about the next steps for the project, at its meeting on 7 December 2020.

Have Your Say! Public engagement period opens for Midtown concept designs

The City is now seeking community feedback on the draft streetscape concept design for Midtown.

The concept responds to the shared vision for Midtown co-designed with local traders, residents and property owners during a comprehensive community engagement program last year.

The plan re-imagines Elizabeth Street (between Melville and Warwick Streets) as a more welcoming, accessible and people-focused main street with better conditions for walking and cycling, spaces to sit and rest, greenery, street furniture and public art.

You can view the plans here and provide your feedback by completing this survey. Your feedback will help to refine the plan. The survey will remain open until 2 November 2020.

When will the project be built?

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the Council’s financial position and as a result, the capital project is not currently funded. However project planning is continuing so that the project will be 'shovel ready', as new funding opportunities arise. This could mean the project gets delivered in stages and through different funding programs. We will keep you up to date as the situation evolves.

The City is currently in discussion with the Department of State Growth in relation to making additional space available for outdoor dining in suitable sites adjacent to interested local food and beverage businesses. If successful, this would be a pilot project aiming to support local business to recover and prosper in the COVID-19 environment and to assist with the need for physical distancing. The City has appointed consultants Sugden and Gee to investigate suitable locations for trial dining decks, and engage with interested businesses in Midtown. We hope to update you soon about the outcomes of this work.

On Friday 18 September, Elizabeth Street was transformed with number of pop-up parklets hosted by several of Midtown businesses to celebrate Park(ing) Day. Supported by the City of Hobart and delivered locally by the Tasmanian Young Planners, Park(ing) Day encourages people to see public spaces from a different angle, and their potential as a place for people to dwell rather than for cars. Starting in San Francisco in 2005, PARK(ing) Day is now celebrated in more than 160 cities. The successful event provided an glimpse of what a more greener, vibrant, active and inclusive people-focused Elizabeth street could look like in the future.