Launceston City Heart Project

civic square_nightmarket_med.jpg

Overview

The Launceston City Heart Project is the largest project of its kind ever undertaken by Council. It represents a huge opportunity for Launceston and its people, and it is only right that has been shaped and influenced by Northern Tasmanians.  

The vision for the Launceston City Heart project is to make central Launceston the premier business, retail and lifestyle hub of Northern Tasmania and to cement the city’s reputation as the most liveable regional centre in Australia.

Through the redevelopment of infrastructure and enhanced support for events and business capability, the project seeks to attract future private investment and to ensure there is always activity in our streets and public spaces.  It is aimed at breathing new life into our public areas and streetscapes, making it easier to find your way around and creating safer, more accessible pedestrian and bicycle links. 

Launceston City Heart Stage 1 

Jointly funded by the Australian Government, Tasmanian Governments and the City of Launceston. The $19.4m redevelopment was delivered through funding contributions from the Australian Government at $7.5m, the Tasmanian Government at $5.8m and the City of Launceston at $6.1m.

The majority of the Launceston City Heart Stage 1 components are complete.

Quadrant Mall

Complete

In early 2016, the City of Launceston began its first major public space overhaul with the redevelopment of the Quadrant Mall. The project involved the laying of new pavers, dynamic lighting, improved street furniture , historic interpretation, more greenery, shared outdoor dining location and many other improvements.

Civic Square

Complete

The re-design responds to the City's planning layout and incorporates interpretation on some of Launceston's historic events. The square now offers space and infrastructure for events, dedicated places to sit and meet, water and sound play for kids, visually appealing lighting and generous landscaping. 

The first event to be held in the newly redeveloped Civic Square was the Launceston Night Market, which saw more than 4,000 people brave the Tassie winter to enjoy food and music. It was a demonstration of capacity of the design to accommodate successful events.  

Brisbane Street Mall

Complete

The motifs in the re-design reference the early architecture of the buildings that enclose it. The open design provides ample seating opportunities and allows for ease of movement in Launceston's retail heart. This is complemented by engaging lighting, public art, landscaping at key locations and two large sheltered areas.

The project commenced in late April 2018 and was reopened to the public in late September 2018, with a community open day attracting over 1500 patrons. 

Wayfinding Signage

Complete

200 new wayfinding signs have been installed at key locations across the city to make navigating the street network and finding key points of interest – such as the hospital, post office, and shops – easier for all. The intuitive signage demonstrates a best practice approach using both visual and descriptive information designed for how people navigate cities, such as providing walking times instead of distances. 

Public Wi-Fi

Ongoing

Use and coverage of the free Public Wi-Fi network has continued to grow. Over 50 Wi-Fi points have been deployed with 85 per cent of the CBD now covered. Visit our maps and open data page to see the areas covered.

Macquarie House Landscape Project

Active

The Denham Henty Waterscape fountain was decommissioned in 2019 after it was discovered the fountain was structurally compromised. The fountain is being repurposed to include a number of visual and aesthetic improvements to make it a more welcoming place - a large public greenspace that includes new turf in the existing fountain catchment, as well as additional plantings to previously established garden beds. 

Public Space Street Furniture

Active

Pedestrian amenity will be enhanced through the replacement of existing end-of-life furniture and new furniture installed at select locations to increase connectivity across the city. This will also be an opportunity to incorporate seating that is unique to Launceston through its use of sustainable local materials and, for some of the locations, incorporate designs that refer to the city's past. 

 

Launceston City Heart Stage 2 

The second stage will see the redevelopment of St John Street, between Paterson Street and York Street, and Paterson Street, between Charles Street and George Street. 

Stage 2 will increase connectivity and integrate the public spaces redesigned in Stage 1 to deliver a more vibrant, accessible and pedestrian friendly environment. It will include contemporary public infrastructure like quality street furniture, dynamic lighting, more greenery and opportunities for public art.

Community engagement has been undertaken and designs prepared for the redevelopment of St John Street and Paterson Street. Stage 2 will commence when funding has been secured. 

Launceston City Heart is a Launceston City Deal commitment where the three levels of government work in partnership with the local community and businesses to deliver agreed outcomes. 

Please contact us if you'd like to learn more about the City Heart project. 

Community Engagement

The project was launched in 2014 with one of the largest public consultation programs ever undertaken by a local government authority in Tasmania.

More than 3000 people contributed their ideas to the development of the project's master plan, and the consultation process went on to receive a Planning Institute of Australia Excellence Award in November, 2015. A further 3000 people have been consulted since.

In May 2016 the project received a commendation at the Planning Institute of Australia's national Planning Excellence Awards in Brisbane.

Engagement for Stage 2 took place  between July and September 2021 with businesses, property owners and the wider community .  This process included a number of consultation approaches such as one to one meetings, on-site pop-ups, open forum for businesses and an online survey with an interactive plan. As a result approximately 2000 members of the community provided feedback on the design objectives to make St John Street and Paterson Street more vibrant places.

The City of Launceston would like to thank all members of the community who continue to provide ideas, feedback and suggestions to allow the development of the Launceston City Heart Project - without you, this initiative would not be possible.  

For more information on the key feedback themes, please visit the City of Launceston community engagement platform Your Voice Your Launceston.