News from Council Meeting - 31 January 2022

News from Council Meeting - 31 January 2022

Published on 31 January 2022

E-scooter trial to continue

The City of Hobart’s e-scooter hire-and-ride trial will continue uninterrupted, with a number of actions supported by the Council to address concerns raised by the community. These include:

urgent, targeted consultation with key community stakeholders reduction of footpath speed limit to 10km/h an audit of footpaths to identify any additional locations where e-scooters should be prohibited requesting the hire operators implement a zero-tolerance policy on customers who breach safety or legislated rules making contact details for reporting misuse or incidents to the companies more easily available.

In jointly moving the motion, which was carried unanimously, Ald Marti Zucco and Ald Jeff Briscoe said the safety of residents should be paramount.

A report addressing further concerns and presenting data and research relating to e-scooter use will be prepared within the next six months.

In a separate motion, the Council resolved to receive a report into the potential for additional separated cycleway infrastructure in response to the increase in e-scooter usage.

Clare St Oval upgrade

Work is set to start on improvements to the toilets and change rooms at New Town’s Clare Street Oval.

Upgrades approved at tonight’s Council Meeting will bring facilities up to modern standards and improve amenity for users of the oval.

The project will comprise demolition and replacement of the public toilets and groundskeepers building, refurbishment of existing change rooms and inclusion of a second set of change rooms and separate umpires’ facilities.

The project is part of an ongoing program to upgrade change room facilities at sports grounds across Hobart, and is jointly funded by the City of Hobart and the state government through its Levelling the Playing Field grant program.

Tip Shop shed to be replaced

A storage shed that was destroyed by fire last year will be replaced at the South Hobart Tip Shop.

The 200 square metre shed will be constructed at the rear of the Tip Shop site, adjacent to the public drop-off area.

The Tip Shop is operated by non-for-profit social enterprise Resource Work Cooperative on land provided by the City of Hobart.

Development statistics

During the month of December 2021, the City of Hobart provided planning approval for 65 development projects worth nearly $60 million in total.

Among the project approved were two major social housing developments that will provide 76 residential units for people experiencing homelessness or housing stress.

In the 2021 calendar year, the City approved 735 planning applications worth a combined $285 million.

Also during December, 46 building permits were issued to the value of more than $15 million. This included a residential unit development at North Hobart worth nearly $4 million.

In the 12 months to December 2021, a total of 608 building permits were issued for projects worth a combined $255 million.

Council supports asylum seekers

The City of Hobart will advocate for the release of refugees and asylum seekers brought to onshore detention in Melbourne through medical evacuation.

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds will write to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs to request urgent humanitarian settlement of asylum seekers currently held in Melbourne’s Park Hotel.

Furthermore, the City of Hobart offers to draw upon its status as a Refugee Welcome Zone to work with stakeholders to help settle refugees and asylum seekers in Hobart, once they are released.

In moving the motion at tonight’s Council Meeting, Deputy Lord Mayor Helen Burnet said the recent detention of international tennis champion Novak Djokovic had brought attention to the plight of detainees at the Park Hotel.