Settlement Strategy - For the Greater Burnie Area

Published on 03 March 2025

Burnie City Council commissioned the preparation of this settlement strategy to provide a blueprint for growth and development for the Greater Burnie area over the next 20 years, through to 2044. The strategy is intended to sustainably manage use and development in the area in a manner that furthers Burnie’s role as a key city and population centre for North-West Tasmania.

Approximately 87% of the Burnie LGA population live in the Greater Burnie area that is the focus of this project. Greater Burnie also serves as the centre for most community services and facilities as well as commercial and industrial activity for the broader area.

Greater Burnie (Study Area)

The past 15 years have seen key changes in Greater Burnie which are likely to continue. Long-term ageing population trends have in the last five years changed, with new families and workers arriving to live in Burnie. Larger households are now also less prevalent with an increase in single person households. At the same time there have been significant shifts in the employment landscape after a period of decline in local jobs between 2009 and 2013.

Today there are a significant range of major projects planned for the area which can drive an economic and employment resurgence. These, along with other key factors outlined in this report are driving the need for a contemporary settlement strategy.

But what is a Settlement Strategy? 

A settlement strategy is a strategic document used by local government to guide decisions relating to the management of cities, towns and communities in a local area. It provides a blueprint for planning decisions and can be used to guide the application of the planning scheme through zonings, overlays and specific provisions. It also helps to identify priorities for Council expenditure and facilitation.

This strategy provides a tangible framework to identify priorities relating to growth opportunities, provision of zoned land for residential, commercial and industrial purposes, and areas required to be preserved due to natural values, land hazards or other reasons. It is used to apply higher order planning policies such as State Policies or the Cradle Coast Regional Land Use Strategy at a municipal scale but is usually supported by specific local strategies.

It uses known factual data to plan for the likely future needs of the community.

A settlement strategy is not a population or economic strategy, but rather seeks to manage predicted change in an area having regard to an analysis of the planning environment. The planning environment comprises three broad components:

• The macro, external ‘big picture’ environment, which comprises the broader economic, social, technological, environmental, legislative and policy factors that influence what the strategy needs to consider and respond to. Council has no influence over these external factors, and they include the policy settings in the Tasmanian planning system (see Section 2), climate change considerations, and state and federal economic and social policies.

• The micro, external ‘regional picture’ environment, which comprises the external factors that Council has capacity to influence or shape. These will include community perspectives, population projections, and regional industry and economic drivers.

• The internal ‘local’ environment, which comprises local, specific factors like land characteristics, infrastructure capacity, and Council’s strategic plan.

Strategic Context 

The Burnie settlement strategy sits within a broader framework of local strategic documents for Burnie City Council.

Two key documents in particular support and align with the settlement strategies directions and actions. These are the Making a Better Burnie 2044 Strategic Plan and the pataway / Burnie City Centre Urban Plan.

The Making a Better Burnie 2044 Strategic Plan provides a long-term vision for Burnie City Council. The document aims to make Burnie a better place to live, work and visit by creating a sustainable environment, culturally rich communities and an active town centre. The settlement strategy is consistent with these aims, and provides actions to realise the goals of the strategic plan.

An initial draft of the pataway / Burnie City Centre Urban Plan was released in June 2024. The Urban Plan has resulted from the strategic plan, and will act as a catalyst to generate ideas and outcomes in line with Council’s strategic objectives to create a vibrant town centre and re-establish pataway/Burnie as the premier cultural and business gateway to the North West Coast.