Brighton Council (‘Council’) engaged ERA Planning & Environment Consultants (ERA) to undertake a review of two precincts of rural living zoned land in Old Beach to see if they can accommodate further residential growth via an alternative zoning (See Figure 1).

Figure 1: Old Beach Zoning Review Study Precincts

In summary, the Report concluded that both precincts have the necessary conditions and policy settings to be rezoned to General Residential at urban densities and restructured via a master planning process. The master planning process will need to further consider a range of issues raised through the consultation process, such as traffic, natural values and vegetation, provision of open space, infrastructure delivery, etc.

At its meeting of the 20^th June 2023, Council partially endorsed the recommendations of the Old Beach Zoning Review report (‘the Report’) to rezone the land in Precinct A, but to not rezone the land in Precinct B at this stage.

The final Report,  Council staff’s recommendations and the traffic assessment can be viewed via the links below.

Council staff will now undertake further community consultation on the project and then seek to rezone Precinct A to a “Future Urban” zone, which is effectively a holding zone for the area while a master plan and necessary supporting documents are prepared.

ERA Old Beach Zoning Review Final Report – May 2023

Traffic Assessment – Old Beach 

Council Minutes 20/6/2023 – Item 13.10 (page 30-44)

In April 2023 Brighton Council endorsed the Brighton Social Infrastructure Plan (the Plan).  The identifies the gaps and needs for social infrastructure provision across the municipality to 2042.

Social infrastructure includes both open space and recreation, and community and cultural facilities by providing the places and spaces for people to meet, be active, connect, create and learn. It plays an integral part in bringing people together and provides opportunities for individuals, families, and communities to develop life skills; create healthy lifestyles; and to engage socially.  Social infrastructure also provides opportunities for all persons to maximise their potential, through diversity in educational, cultural, sporting, social and recreational offerings.

The Plan identifies priority actions for the  Brighton municipality as a whole as well as on a suburb-by-suburb basis, based on population projections.  Key challenges and opportunities identified in the Plan include:

• Young populations and a lack of youth space
• Areas of social disadvantage in the LGA
• Lack of social cohesion between neighbourhoods
• Low activation and vibrancy with limited people centred places
• Rapid population growth and planning for new communities
• Improving existing assets
• Deficit in creative infrastructure and local cultural spaces
• Significant undersupply of GPs living and working in the LGA

Key priority areas for open space and recreation include:

• Expanding the large amount of waterway related open space
• Considering the recreation infrastructure available at school sites
• Limited walkability in some areas, although noting Council’s work in upgrading Brighton’s existing walking and cycling network
• Spaces for informal individualised fitness-based activities
• A diversity of play offerings
• Dog friendly spaces, tennis facilities, and access to an indoor recreation centre

In May 2023 Brighton Council endorsed the Foreshore Management Plan. This plan aims to provide a practical guide for the collaborative management of areas of the Brighton foreshore.

Initially, the plan concentrates on three areas in Bridgewater, Herdsmans Cove and Old Beach.

These are areas that:
– the community has express an interest in looking after;
– are easily accessible;
– have significant natural values;
– are adjacent to areas where Brighton Council has other community infrastructure planned or in place; and
– offer opportunities for community and stakeholders to work together across land tenures to improve the natural values of the area.

The South-Central Sub-Region (SCS) of councils has released an important strategic infrastructure planning study conducted by KPMG on behalf of the group.

The report highlights the infrastructure priorities for the next 5-10 years in a region that has some very high growth areas.

SCS Infrastructure Study – Final Report 18 March 2022

The report was jointly funded as a collaboration between Brighton, Central Highlands, Derwent Valley and Southern Midlands councils and is evidence of the importance these four (4) councils place on long term planning for the entire region, with its inherently linked services and communities.

Brighton Council endorsed a Weed Management Strategy in April 2022.

Brighton Council – Weed Management Strategy

APPENDIX V Brighton Council Weed Action Table

Should you have any questions regarding the strategy or land management in our municipality, please feel free to contact Council.

T: (03) 6268 7000
E: admin@brighton.tas.gov.au

In 2020, Council engaged consultants, Inspiring Place, to prepare a Master Plan for Cris Fitzpatrick Park in Gagebrook.

Cris Fitzpatrick Park had been identified as unsafe, underutilised and developed in an ad-hoc manner.

The Master Plan provides a long-term vision for Council to create a more desirable playground area and community space that can be delivered in stages.

The Master Plan should not be seen as a “fixed plan” but rather an aspirational plan to guide priorities and decision making.

Stage 1 of the Master Plan looks to deliver the priorities identified by the community during the community consultation phase of the project, which included 164 responses through surveys that were completed through a combination of face-to-face surveys at Bond place, online surveys and postal surveys. Key priorities include play equipment (e.g. as a flying fox, water play and climbing tower, fencing, lighting, shelters, landscaping & seating.

Cris Fitzpatrick Park Master Plan – May 2021

Public art plays a critical role in the creation of vibrant and meaningful public spaces and the development of diverse, tolerant, and proud communities. Council has a significant role to play in the furthering of artistic practice in the municipality.

In February 2021 Brighton Council endorsed the Public Art Strategy for our Municipality and community.

Brighton Council Public Art Strategy – February 2021

The Brighton Industrial Estate is an underutilised asset in Tasmania that presents valuable ‘employment land’ that will support local enterprise growth and job opportunities for a growing Brighton population.

Brighton Council engaged Design Jam in collaboration with local branding specialist, Nick Rudenno, to develop a new Brand and Placemaking strategy for the precinct. The strategy sets a new vision and pathway, supported by practical actions, to reposition the Brighton Industrial Estate as an attractive prospect for future investors and support growth.

Brighton Industrial Estate Brand & Place Strategy – December 2020

BrightonHub – Brand Guidelines – December 2020

Structure Plans allow Councils to apply a strategic approach to how land is used and developed, to identify what services and facilities are needed to support the community, and to consider how the appearance and functioning of public places can be improved.

With the majority of the recommended actions from the Brighton Structure Plan 2012 implemented, and with continued population growth forecast, Brighton Council begun to prepare an updated Structure Plan in 2017.

The Brighton Structure Plan 2018 (BSP 2018) was developed in consultation with the local community and infrastructure providers (e.g. TasWater, State Roads, etc.). The BSP 2018 focuses on projects that can be undertaken in the next 5 years and takes a look at population and land demand forecasts. It also identifies some long-term projects that need to be planned for now.

The BSP 2018 (depicted below)  provides strategies and actions for the following:

• Housing
• Employment
• Centres of activity and the movement network
• Community facilities and movement activities
• Improvements to amenity

You can download the BSP 2018 HERE and the associated Economic Study HERE.

Brighton Council recognises the scientific community’s broad consensus on climate change. The accelerated changes in the earth’s climate in recent times are as a result of human-induced actions caused by the additional, non-natural, release of greenhouse gas emissions (for example, from land clearing and the use of fossil fuels).

Brighton Council wants to do its bit. In November 2019, Brighton Council adopted its Climate Change and Resilience Strategy.

Brighton Council aims to be a leader in mitigating and planning for climate change, reducing risks, costs and its environmental footprint. It also seeks to work with and empower its community to address climate change issues, minimise harm, reduce environmental impacts and create resilient and sustainable communities.
The benefits of having an adopted Climate Change and Resilience Strategy include links to funding opportunities, improved risk management, identification of energy efficiencies and cost savings, improving council’s practices and development of community and environmental resilience to climate change.

The Strategy draws from and builds upon current Council initiatives to create a unified approach to climate change and broader sustainability and resilience objectives.

Climate Change and Resilience Strategy – Nov 2019

Council’s Open Space Strategy 2012 (OSS 2012) provides a tool for the planning, development and management of open space within the Brighton municipal area, including parks, community recreation facilities, conservation reserves and linkages (e.g. pathways, cycling routes, tracks and trails).

Having a high-quality open space network is critical to improving the liveability of the municipality. Quality open space networks provide a range of social, health and well-being, personal, environmental, and economic benefits.

An audit of Council’s existing open space network revealed that there was an excess of open space much of which was managed as low-cost maintenance sites with little infrastructure.

The OSS 2012 recommends how each open space should be used moving forward. This may be an upgrade to a park, or to rationalise the site and provide in-fill housing development.

The OSS 2012 has been the catalyst for a number of projects that you may have seen in your local area, including:

• The Bridgewater Parkland
• Childs Drive Park, Old Beach
• In-fill housing that created O’Loughlin Court, Bridgewater.
• Herdsmans Cove and Stanfield Drive foreshore trails
• Brighton Rd footpath between Brighton and Pontville Park
• Continual upgrades to Seymour St Park (Brighton), Lennox Park (Old Beach) & Cris Fitpatrick Park (Gagebrook).

Open Space Strategy 2012

The preparation of the Brighton Town Centre Local Area Plan (BLAP 2012) is a direct outcome of a recommendation with the Brighton Structure Plan 2012.

The BLAP 2012 provides guidance to Council, landowners, stakeholders and investors in terms of the preferred future land development outcomes within the Brighton township.

A number of the initiatives in BLAP 2012 have already been implemented, including strategic rezonings, upgrades to the Brighton Rd Streetscape, creation of the Highway Services Precinct, improvements to the former army site.

The Brighton Tomorrow Urban Design Report was undertaken as a collaboration between Brighton Council, University of Tasmania’s School of Architecture (UTAS) and Monash University Department of Architecture (MADA).

The Study investigated public spaces in the Brighton municipality and appropriate and responsive forms of public architecture and spaces on public land.

The study was approached as a form of educational experience, which incorporated community consultancy and generated design based research that has informed the production of this design document for the municipality.

Students brought ‘fresh eyes’ to the town and were able to speculate, relatively free of professional ‘constraints’ that would typically lead to a more standardised outcome.

A number of ideas were expanded into site specific design propositions in each of Brighton’s urban areas.

The work has greatly assisted council in the design of public works and the successful application for state and federal grants to improve the various urban conditions of the Brighton municipality.

Bridgewater Urban Strategy

Bridgewater – Small Public Spaces

The Master Plan

In 2015 Brighton Council engaged landscape architects, Play St, to develop a Master Plan for a parkland in the area between the Bridgewater commercial and civic precinct and the Derwent River foreshore. Following consultation with the community, Brighton Council endorsed the Bridgewater Parkland Master Plan 2016-2026.

The Master Plan consists of two key components:

• A community parkland behind the Civic Centre; and
• A regional parkland on the Derwent River foreshore

Additional components include:

• Central pedestrian spine and trail network
• New roads and car parking
• Café partnership with growing centre
• Natural amphitheatre
• Skate park option
• Dog walking area
• Medium to high residential area

Read the full Bridgewater Parkland Master Plan 2016-2026

Regional Parkland

Council has received a $1.7M grant to develop the Regional Parkland component of the Master Plan. Click here to read more.

Community Parkland

In 2017, Council received a Federal Grant under the Building Better Regions Fund to develop the Community Parkland. The grant contribution to the project was $430K, with Council contributing $380K and Centacare Evolve Housing contributing $150K. The Community Parkland was completed in August 2018, with the toilets to be completed by March 2019.

The park has been well received by the community and has been featured on the Heart Foundation’s Health Active by Design website and won the 2019 Landscape Architecture Award for Parks and Open Space.

Brighton Council partnered with Skills Tasmania, Derwent Valley, Central Highlands and Southern Midlands councils to engage KPMG to undertake this vital report. The study provides important data on the Region’s workforce and employment conditions. The study analyses all the key sectors and looks at likely future growth or decline in each sector. It looks at impediments to business growth and employment, and makes a series of recommendations to improve conditions and harness opportunities over the coming years.

South Central Sub-region Workforce Planning Report 2017

Brighton Council partnered with the four other Greater Hobart Councils (Clarence, Glenorchy, Hobart and Kingborough) to engage AEC to undertake a study in to the socio-economic profile and opportunities for Greater Hobart. The study also included detailed separate studies on each of the five municipal areas. This assisted council, developers and investors to better understand Brighton’s key assets and competitive advantages within the region.

Brighton Socio-Economic Profile & Opportunity Assessment 2020

Through the Greening Brighton Strategy, Brighton Council has committed an annual budget allocation to planting street trees. In 2019, Brighton Council engaged Landscape Architects, Inspiring Place, to prepare the Brighton Street Tree Strategy to help identify the most appropriate street trees to be planted in key streets for all the urban areas in the Brighton municipality.

You can download the Brighton Street Tree Strategy here.

If you want to plant a street tree out the front of your property it is recommended that you contact Council first.

The Greening Brighton Strategy 2016 – 2021 has been developed to provide a coordinated strategic approach to increasing the number of trees in Brighton’s streets, parks and private gardens.

The Objectives of the Greening Brighton Strategy are:

• Increase the tree canopy across Brighton’s urban areas through strategic tree planting.
• To provide a consistent and co-ordinated approach to street tree planting.
• To encourage the local community to embrace the greening of Brighton’s urban areas.
• To encourage private developers to improve landscaping practices.
• To improve data collection, monitoring, reporting and communication of Brighton’s “urban forest”.

The first five years of the strategy has a strong focus on planting street trees to improve the main streets in Bridgewater, Gagebrook and Herdsman’s Cove.

Greening Brighton Strategy 2016-2021