A neighbourhood plan is a guide for how a local area should develop and improve over time. They have a forward focus of up to 30 years and plan for future population growth and community needs. For this project, the plan will also provide an infrastructure funding framework, to enable the infrastructure to be appropriately funded and delivered as the area develops.

Neighbourhood plans identify how land can be developed and provide a framework for a Council to deliver liveable communities. They can influence:

• How land is used

• What planning controls apply

• Where future housing can occur

• What housing types are appropriate for the area

• Where commercial and business uses can occur

• The location of open space areas such as parks and playgrounds

• The location of infrastructure and services, including roads and transport links.

In 2014, the Greater Launceston Plan identified the St Leonards and Waverley area as a growth corridor. The Plan also identified the area immediately surrounding St Leonards as a Priority Investigation Area for residential development.

This means the St Leonards and Waverley area will start to experience more development associated with housing, businesses and other services, and it’s important to make sure that the area develops in the right way.

Based on the area identified in the Greater Launceston Plan, this neighbourhood plan will be focused on the St Leonards and Waverley areas.

The St Leonards community was consulted in 2018 on future plans for the area. Some of the feedback we received then includes:

• A need for traffic calming infrastructure and improved pedestrian pathways before there is further growth;

• Support for local businesses, services and local schools;

• A need for improvements to existing infrastructure and services to support growth;

• The community values the heritage buildings within the area and would support a heritage precinct, particularly around the village centre or along Station Road;

• There is a preference for a lower growth scenario;

• The community value green space and recreational opportunities and believe the biggest thing to encourage walkability in the area would be to improve footpaths and provide more off-road walking tracks.

We are interested to understand whether the community’s views have changed and whether these areas of interest are still relevant. This feedback, and any additional feedback we receive, will help shape the neighbourhood plan.

This project will look at the staged release of land in the St Leonards and Waverley area. As part of the project, road layouts and the location of walking trails and open space will be considered.

There is land within St Leonards and Waverley that is zoned General Residential which can be subdivided and developed for housing now. This zoned land could support up to 1,000 new homes.

There is also land zoned Future Urban, which means it has been identified as being suitable for residential development in the future. This could result in up to 400 new houses in the area.

We know that Launceston is growing, and the Greater Launceston Plan identified the St Leonards and Waverley area as a growth corridor.

Tasmania’s housing profile is also changing, with an increase in the number of single person and two person households. This reflects an aging population as people’s housing needs change, which creates demand for housing around our state.

The neighbourhood plan will follow a staged approach, which will highlight which areas should be developed first to assist with infrastructure development.

Its complete implementation may occur over a 15-30 year period.

Strategic planning documents should be updated regularly. This neighbourhood plan will have an interim review after 5 years to consider how the project is progressing. Following 10-15 years, depending on the implementation of the plan, it may be significantly reviewed.

If your land is located within the neighbourhood plan area this does not force you to develop your land.

However, if you own a large or significant parcel of land in the area and did choose to subdivide or develop in the future, the neighbourhood plan may feature in a statutory planning document such as the Planning Scheme which may require you to develop your land in a way that is consistent with the plan. This may include things like road layouts for large lots being subdivided, or open space requirements.

Rates are allocated based on each property’s Assessed Annual Value (AAV). The AAV is determined by the State Government Office of the Valuer-General.

For most properties, this neighbourhood plan won’t make any recommendations for changes. However if the area sees an overall increase in value of properties, it could impact the AAV, which in turn could impact rates.

Further information about how City of Launceston’s rates are calculated can be found here.

For most properties, the neighbourhood plan won’t rezone your land. However, for some larger land holdings, these could be identified for future residential development as part of the plan.

Any rezoning would need to go through a separate statutory planning process called a Planning Scheme amendment. Further information about Planning Scheme amendments can be found here.

Our project team has started working on the neighbourhood plan.

We are looking at the previous work completed including the community feedback, but also the infrastructure implementation, community needs for businesses and services, and opportunities for open space and connections.

We will use this information to prepare the draft Neighbourhood Plan which will be available for public comment in March next year, with the project completed by June 2025.

There are lots of ways to be involved before the neighbourhood plan is completed.

• You can complete the survey
• You can call our project team on 03 6323 3220
• You can send us an email at neighbourhoods@launceston.tas.gov.au