South Hobart retail precinct upgrade

The shopping precinct in Macquarie Street, South Hobart will be upgraded to provide vibrant social spaces for the local community and improved pedestrian crossings in Macquarie Street. The streetscape upgrade will support local traders and promote accessibility and activation of the precinct.

About the Project

"Main streets are the focal points of our towns, villages and cities. They are the places where we meet friends, share lunch, spend time and shop. A town without a quality main street is missing out on the most fundamental of public spaces, and its residents forgo the social atmosphere of a thrumming communal space. There is a broad appeal to quality main streets, so it makes sense to invest in good ones." - MRCagney, 2015

In spring 2015, the City of Hobart and a team of consultants undertook a program of community engagement to identify and prioritise streetscape upgrades for retail precincts across the Hobart municipality. An innovative 'tactical urbanism' approach was employed. Pop-up style events were held in local areas and communities were able to trial a range of temporary traffic interventions and streetscape improvements. Participants designed, organised, tested and proved their bold concepts, and the communities had a lot of fun in the process.

Enthusiastic members of the South Hobart community planned an event to test increased pedestrian spaces. The event was well attended by the local community with all ages represented.

A master plan was then developed by the consultants. The plan recommends further consultation with local traders to determine a design approach. The master plan makes the following recommendations:

Provide improved pedestrian crossing facilities in Macquarie Street to the east of Elboden Street as the first priority.
Streetscape improvements around the retail areas near D'Arcy Street, Anglesea Street and Elboden Street including:
- Widened footpaths
- New seating and bike racks
- Deciduous trees where they can be achieved
- Banner poles, poster poles
- Improved road crossings
- Traffic calming

Key Dates

The master plan recommended that the first priority for South Hobart is to improve pedestrian road crossings in Macquarie Street. This has been completed, and more information can be found on the South Hobart pedestrian improvements project page.

A second stage of detailed planning and design (including consultation) will focus on the broader streetscape improvements for the South Hobart retail precinct.