Council-owned Projects

Funding Request: $100,000

The St Leonards Sports Complex is an integral component of sports and recreation infrastructure in the Northern Tasmania Region. The sport and recreation activities at this complex play a role in supporting happy, healthy, connected, and engaged communities.

As a recommendation from the Northern Tasmania Sports Facility Plan, City of Launceston is seeking funding to undertake a masterplan for the St Leonards Sports Complex. The aim of the master plan is to determine the future needs of all users (such as athletics, hockey, BMX and croquet), including potential upgrade of the building, toilets and in-field area.

Funding Request: $150,000

The City of Launceston is seeking funding to undertake a significant renewal of historic Lamont House, designed to make the building functional as an office space and training facility. 

Funding Request:  City of Launceston welcomes additional funding from the State and Federal Government.

The Princess Theatre is an iconic heritage theatre in the centre of Launceston city. Coupled with the Earl Arts Centre, the two theatres are the heart of cultural and performing arts events in Launceston.

A significant renewal and upgrade to the theatres are required to address safety and operational issues and in turn increase accessibility to the theatres.

The City of Launceston is developing a master plan to guide future upgrades of the Princess Theatre and Earl Arts Centre complex. The Council is seeking funding support to undertake the renewal.

Funding Request: $350,000

The City of Launceston is seeking funding to refurbish the Lilydale Swimming Pool. The works required to be undertaken involve:

• Removal of current cement structures,
• Installation of two fiberglass pools (main pool and children's pool), and
• Refurbishment of surrounding paths and grassed areas.

The Lilydale Swimming Pool is an important asset for the Lilydale and surrounding communities, and these works will guarantee that the pool remains suitable for the community to enjoy during the warmer months.

Funding Request: Matching City of Launceston's funding of $700,000 per annum over the term of Government

Launceston hosts a range of events each year which contribute and provide memorable experiences for community and visitors. Strategically, events are a driver for economic gains throughout the municipality.

To support the events strategy, the City of Launceston is seeking a matched funding commitment to expand its events program and stimulate place activation during specific times of the year. Matching the council's current investment of approximately $700,000 will increase the number and diversity of events in Launceston, allowing greater social and economic benefits. In particular, being able to attract a range of sporting and special interest events during Launceston's cooler months and ensuring event continuity. It would also enable the City of Launceston to work more closely with Stadiums Tasmania and elevate Launceston's profile as a year-round destination. 

The City of Launceston is seeking collaboration with the State Government to support child and youth engagement in Launceston.

Like other Tasmanian councils, the City of Launceston seeks assistance for the adequate establishment of the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework, especially to embed the standards across all of our operational areas and to ensure the adherence to the standards becomes business as usual. 

Funding for children and youth programming or events that increase children's participation in decision making in the community they live in, especially Tasmanian Aboriginal children. Such programming or events would include place-based projects designed to uphold children's rights and increase participation in decision making.

This might include programs, events or activities such as:

• The City according to children,
• Inclusive, and potentially ephemeral/transient, play spaces designed by children,
• Festivals that increase access to education such as digital literacy, literacy and numeracy,
• Support for mobility and access to increase opportunities to participate,
• Having projects designed by children for children for example, the ABCDE Invermay movie,
• Theatre to allow children and youth to create stories about their city,
• Opportunities to build resilience in children and young people as they move through different stages of life (early childhood to primary; primary to secondary; secondary to university/work), and
• A focus on intergenerational play.

Funding Request: $500,000

The City of Launceston is seeking contribution towards the funding of the upgrades of the City Park and Punchbowl Reserve play equipment. Upgrades to the play equipment are required to ensure it continues to service the community and become an asset that benefits the health and liveability of the community.

Punchbowl Reserve

Built in 1993, Punchbowl Reserve has a reputation as one of the best and most widely utilised play spaces in Launceston. A social and family recreation area includes a path network, picnicking facilities, a play space, pond, Gorge walk and other community facilities. These features make the reserve a well-used space for young families and for gatherings like birthday parties as well as passive recreation for the wider community.

The play area has been identified for renewal and improvement works, with a particular focus on inclusive access and play improvements. The current play space has limited play opportunities for inclusive play and the current design does not maximise usable space for play value.

The City of Launceston are looking to renew the play space, working with the existing footprint and equipment (where practical) to create an inclusive environment that reflects its setting and brings the space up to contemporary standards with best practice and design initiatives.

City Park

City Park is rated as one of the top 10 parks in Australia and attracts a large number of locals and tourists. The ageing play space detracts from the visitor experience. Renewing the play space will ensure that council showcases this park as a premier attraction.

Similarly with the Punchbowl Reserve equipment, the play area has been identified for renewal and improvement works. A renewal will include the provision of new equipment to suit a broad range of ages and cater to different styles of play, including nature play. The current play space requires improvement to the play value, offering an environment that can be used for multiple and different types of play which stimulates imagination and creativity for a range of age groups. How the play space sits and works with the history, tradition and topography of City Park will be considered.

Funding Request: $450,000 over 5 years

The City of Launceston is seeking funding to addressing the critical need for increased tree canopy cover in Mayfield, as identified in the Urban Greening Implementation Plan.

Mayfield has been identified as a high-priority area in the broader Urban Greening Strategy due to its significant vulnerability and low current canopy cover of 10-15%, with most canopy cover predominantly found in undeveloped land to the east. The 400m radius from East Tamar Primary school alarmingly has less than five percent canopy coverage.

To rectify this deficiency, the proposed project is seeking funding to implement a multifaceted approach over a span of five years. The project will involve the planting of approximately 1250 street trees over five years. Additionally, targeted tree and garden bed plantings are planned for key green spaces, including Torrens Street Park, Hargrave Crescent Reserve, Mawson Place Park, and Kennedy Street Park.

To ensure the success and sustainability of the project, funding is also sought for irrigation of park areas. Adequate watering is essential for the establishment and growth of the newly planted trees, particularly in the harsh climatic conditions of Mayfield. This consideration demonstrates a commitment to the long-term health and viability of the green infrastructure being introduced.

Funding Request: $500,000 per annum over the term of Government

The Cataract Gorge is one of Tasmania's most popular tourist attractions and holds a special place in Tasmanian's hearts. In order to keep this iconic location open to the public and improve accessibility to this natural site, periodic investment is required.

Particularly, investment in:

1. The Basin entrance to address access issues, improve aesthetics and visitor experiences when entering the Cataract Gorge from this entrance,
2. Aging infrastructure required to keep the trails and walkways open to the public,
3. Upgrades to the public amenities with regard to access and improved showering facilities, and
4. Future replacement options for the ageing Cataract Gorge inclinator.

Funding: City of Launceston welcomes additional funding from the State and Federal Government

The NTCA is a critically important part of the sporting infrastructure that serves the regions sporting community, hosting thousands of users year-round. At present, five community sports clubs, encompassing Australian rules football, cricket, and soccer, share the facilities.

A high-level concept has been developed for the NTCA Sports Complex in Launceston. The concept designs address how renewed facilities can meet the needs and demands of the Northern sporting community, including some of the region's most popular and fastest-growing sporting codes.

The concept plans have been developed in consultation with the NTCA Facility Management Group to understand their needs, strategic objectives and future requirements. Engagement with these stakeholders has highlighted significant challenges with the current provision, including the inability to accommodate the increasing number, diversity, and anticipated growth in number of participants.

With concept plans developed, Council is advocating for funding to develop and implement master planning for the precinct.

There is an opportunity to expand the masterplan's scope by incorporating the Launceston Tennis Centre and the Elphin Sports Stadium, both of which are located in the vicinity, creating a first class multi-code sporting precinct.

Funding request: $2.5 million per annum over the term of Government towards the development and provision of world-class cultural, educational and destination experiences

QVMAG is Australia’s third oldest cultural institution, recognised as the leading cultural destination in northern Tasmania and is an inextricable part of the region’s innovation effort. A storehouse of cultural memory, innovative educator, advocate of Tasmanian cultural and creative services locally, nationally and internationally and the ongoing provision of unique sites of multi-disciplinary research, design and innovation, QVMAG’s impact extends far beyond the arts and information services portfolios within which it is sited.

QVMAG’s annual programmatic offer intersects within the wider socio-cultural and innovation agendas through its transdisciplinary portfolios of indigenous awareness, education, the arts and sciences. The institution plays a critical role in the development and realisation of Tasmania as a cultural and creative destination of substance and as such:

Inspires and educates the community
Through the curation and interpretation of collections, our galleries and museum build and disseminate knowledge while at the same time fostering the confidence, critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving abilities which provide the basic prerequisites for new ways of thinking.

Generates multi-disciplinary research
QVMAG’s cultural collections provide a critical resource for researchers and also generate in-house research projects and collaborations with other research agencies and academies, across the sciences and humanities, between disciplines and with regional, national and international partners. QVMAG is recognised as part of the Federal Government’s National Research Infrastructure (NRI) and plays a key role in leading and supporting science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) based research and education.

Builds creative communities
QVMAG’s galleries, archives, museum and library forms an integral part of the region’s creative economy and creative communities, providing inspirational sources, nurturing the development and application of innovative ideas, acting as sites for cutting-edge developments and contributing to the energy and inspiration which attracts creative industries, cultural entrepreneurs and innovators to the Launceston region.

During the 2022/23 financial year, QVMAG underwent a significant and transformative shift in its programmatic development resulting in the institution achieving milestones and historical records in visitation, engagement, accessibility, contributing in excess of $48 million of economic generation through cultural tourism for Tasmania.

Seeking to further leverage QVMAG as an accessible cultural and economic driver for Launceston, and Tasmania more broadly, a programmatic activation partnership is sought with the State Government in the provision of a $2.5million per annum for the term of Government expressly to develop and deliver high quality Tasmanian cultural, education and research programs with local, state, national and international partners.