Feds Funding Paves Way for 2200-Home Tassie Masterplan

Tasmania’s Rosny Park to Kangaroo Bay corridor has won serious Commonwealth attention, landing $1.67 million in Federal funding plus more from the state to help pave the way for a 2200-home precinct.

The Clarence City Council was awarded the grant to plan a mixed-use cultural precinct at Rosny Farm, a heritage-listed site in the heart of the Eastern Shore’s growth area.

The planning work covers creative production facilities, digital arts studios, performance venues and youth spaces across the site and surrounding parklands.

The Rosny Farm precinct is part of the council’s $100-million City Heart Plan, released in final draft form in November after a number of community engagement stages.

The eight-precinct plan spans Rosny Park, Kangaroo Bay, Bellerive village, Rosny Parkland, Sheoak Point, Charles Hand Reserve and parts of Warrane.

Three council-owned car parks are the cornerstones of the redevelopment.

One, Winkleigh Place Car Park, would expand to 190 spaces and 80 to 90 homes as well as 1000sq m of retail and hospitality.

Meanwhile, Bayfield Street Car Park would include 230 to 280 parking spaces, 2000sq m of community space, 800sq m of retail and hospitality, and 3000sq m of commercial offices. Implementation would happen across three phases over 10 years.

The funding will be used for business case development, infrastructure assessments and site investigations. The council will add more than $500,000 to the $2.17-million planning budget.

Creative Tasmania and the University of Tasmania are partnering on the project.

Planning documents show that council-controlled sites including car parks and civic land along Bligh Street could be used for mixed-use redevelopment.

The precinct would deliver infrastructure including a pedestrian bridge connecting the CBD, waterfront and parklands.

Economic modelling forecasts demand for creative sector jobs and service employment alongside medium-density housing in the region. An injection of cultural infrastructure aims to lift amenity and make the area more competitive as residential development ramps up.

Mayor Brendan Blomeley said the planned precincts would “not only bring in more people and events, but they are also great contributors to people’s wellbeing through fostering connection and providing a space for creativity and enjoyment”.

▲ The City Heart Plan covers eight precincts across Clarence’s Eastern Shore.

Rosny Farm already draws 50,000 visitors a year. Expanding the precinct would increase capacity and create year-round activity, according to the masterplan. Planning includes performance lawns with permanent services, shared paths and better parkland connections.

Heritage buildings on site including Rosny Barn and Farm Cottage will need adaptive reuse solutions and Palawa cultural advisers will lead design elements through a Designing on Country process.

The Federal government also committed $3.2 million to Hobart City Council for feasibility work and design on tourism infrastructure at Halls Saddle on Kunanyi/Mt Wellington.

Both grants come from the Commonwealth’s $150-million Urban Precincts and Partnerships Program. Stream One offers $500,000 to $5 million for planning work. Stream Two provides $5 million to $50 million for construction-ready projects, giving completed plans a pathway to capital funding.

The Rosny Farm project is one of several major developments reshaping Greater Hobart.

In May, the Tasmanian Government expanded Greater Hobart’s Urban Growth Boundary, unlocking 615ha for almost 10,000 homes at Brighton, Clarence, Kingborough and Sorell.

Earlier in the year, Melbourne-based LK Group, led by billionaire Larry Kestelman, signed a deal in February to buy 15ha of Crown Land at Wilkinsons Point for a $500-million tourism precinct including a 250-key hotel, retail facilities and sports infrastructure.

The state described that project as “one of the most significant private investments made in Tasmania”.