Election Priority - Burnie’s CBD Renewal

Published on 01 March 2024

The Burnie City Council is calling on both political parties to invest $30m in its visionary plan to revitalise its beautiful and regionally significant CBD.

Council leaders have, this week, met with candidates from both major political parties vying to form government at the upcoming Tasmanian state election and discussed with them the ‘pataway / Burnie City Centre Urban Plan’, and are seeking a commitment of $30m from both parties to fund this ambitious vision.

Mayor Teeny Brumby said: “Burnie is a leading regional centre for the northwest and we urge the candidates in the upcoming state election to remember our importance to the great state of Tasmania.

“With more than 20,000 passionate Tasmanians in our local government area, and many thousands more reliant on Burnie as their regional hub, we urge the political parties looking to form government at the upcoming state election to think of us when formulating their respective priorities.  After all the City of Burnie was overlooked for any funding at the last Tasmanian State election.

“This CBD revitalisation project is ambitious but, at this stage, is unfunded.  We are calling on both parties to provide their support for this project, which will enable us to begin work in 2025, after we have extensively consulted with our community about the collective vision for our city,” Mayor Brumby said.   

“While our city centre has many drawcards and represents a significant centre for the region, its full potential is yet to be realised.  It will take 20 years to see our vision become a reality, but we cannot wait any longer to start this important work.  Burnie is shaping up to be a regional hub for renewable energy development in the northwest, and we must make a start in order to leverage the opportunities to grow our city and our State as a result of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Mayor Brumby said.    

The Council has engaged consulting firm GHD to undertake the Burnie City Centre Urban Plan with the task of capturing the essence and identity of Burnie as the ‘City of Makers’.

Extensive engagement with the Burnie public, seeking their input into the concept, has been underway since 2023 and a “sneak peak” of the Burnie City Centre Urban Plan concepts was revealed to the public at last Saturday’s community consultation event hosted by the Council at the Burnie Foreshore.

Examples of the elements covered in the Burnie City Centre Urban Plan include:

• Improved streetscape amenity;
• pedestrian and cycle safety, movement and connectivity;
• better use of waterfront land;
• improved entertainment and retail offerings;
• improved and new community and public spaces;
• car parking;
• inner city living;
• activation strategies;
• greening of the CBD; and
• linkages between precincts in the city centre.

“The other related priority that we are seeking commitment for, from both parties, is the transfer of the rehabilitated existing Court House site within the CBD.  This site is extremely important to realising our vision for the city, and through this election we are seeking a commitment that this site will be transferred to the Council, at no cost, once the new Court House is developed.”  Mayor Brumby said.