CAMPBELL TOWN STREETSCAPE DEVELOPMENT

Posted on March 26, 2025

Why is Council streetscaping Campbell Town?

Campbell Town is in the heart of Tasmania and is a popular stopping point for travellers between Hobart and Launceston. The town has a range of businesses and community, health, and education services that support its residents and visitors. 

The town offers a variety of retail and service facilities catering to passing travellers, including cafes and eateries, specialty gift shops, service stations, a unique award-winning bookshop, art galleries, antique stores, a pharmacy and a supermarket.

High Street (also known as Main Street) is the economic and social hub of Campbell Town. As the town revolves around High Street, the Council identified that it needs to be reinvigorated to improve urban amenities, enable better and safer vehicle movement and access, and enhance pedestrian safety. 

These works extend the previous streetscape work completed by the Council on the corner of High Street and Queen Street. 

What do the works include?

Works include widening the footpaths on both sides of High Street, installing additional outdoor seating, landscaping and interpretation signage, and upgrading parking areas and pedestrian crossings to improve accessibility for everyone. 

These upgrades will help High Street operate more safely and efficiently, as well as enhance the look and experience of Campbell Town for residents, businesses, and visitors. 

What are the benefits of the project?

The Campbell Town Streetscape Redevelopment project will:

• Improve health and safety outcomes for all visitors and residents in Campbell Town through improved vehicle and pedestrian access.
• Improve visual and urban amenities for all visitors and residents in Campbell Town.
• Increase business activity and economic growth for businesses within the town centre.

How many parking spaces will be impacted as part of this project?

1. To improve the safety of both pedestrians and vehicles, approximately 25 on-street parking spaces on High Street will be affected, as detailed below. 
2. Council is already working to minimise this impact by formalising other parking opportunities and spaces nearby.

• 2 parking spaces to the north of Elizabeth Court will be removed to improve the safety of the intersection and the sight lines for cars exiting Elizabeth Court.
• 2 parking spaces outside the library will be removed to allow for the formalisation of the southbound bus stop. 
• 1 parking space will be removed outside the service station (between the entry and exit). Vehicles parked in this spot reduce the visibility and sight lines for vehicles entering and exiting the service station. Additional parking for this business is provided on their internal site.
• 11 parking spaces will be removed from outside Valentine Park. This will allow for 2 accessible compliant pedestrian crossings to be installed and will also address the safety risks associated with the current angled parking layout. 
• 3 parking spaces adjacent to Valentine Park will be removed to allow 2 accessible compliant pedestrian crossings to be installed.
• 2 parking spaces will be removed from outside 101 High Street to allow for the installation of an accessible compliant pedestrian crossing between Valentine Park and 101 High Street and to improve the safety of both the Commonwealth Lane and Queen Street intersections. 
• 1 parking space outside of 111 High Street will be removed to allow for the installation of an accessible compliant pedestrian crossing.
• 2 parking spaces outside of 114 High Street will be removed to allow for the installation of an accessible compliant pedestrian crossing.
• 1 parking space outside of 115 High Street will be removed to allow for the installation of an accessible compliant pedestrian crossing.

To lessen the impact of the above parking space removals on parking availability in the High Street area, the Council is formalising the informal/gravel parking area on William Street, next to the Town Hall. Formalising this area will create an additional 10 parking spaces (including 2 accessible compliant spaces), reducing the total number of parking spaces to be removed along the project's total length (from William Street to King Street, an approximate length of 400 metres) to 15.

What other parking options are available?

Council currently provides two car parks in the CBD area - one at Elizabeth Court, which can accommodate approximately 19 cars, and another at Commonwealth Lane, which can accommodate approximately 48 cars. Council also provides two accessible compliant parking spaces in Queen Street.

Why is Council removing the angled parking near Valentine Park?

There have been approximately 70 reported crashes in this area since 2001, most occurring near the angled parking area. We have also been advised by many community members that not all crashes are being reported due to the frequency with which they occur. 

What community consultation was completed to inform this project?

1. The Council has undertaken the following community consultation as part of this project:

• The Campbell Town Streetscaping Project was developed in line with the Campbell Town Urban Design and Traffic Management Strategy (May 2017). This Strategy aimed to establish a framework and vision for Campbell Town and recommended practical measures to guide improvements to streetscape, traffic and parking, pedestrian movement, and landscaping. One of the key focus areas was Main Street/High Street. Significant community consultation was completed as part of developing this strategy. You can read the Strategy, which includes a summary of community consultation activities, on the Northern Midlands Council webpage (northernmidlands.tas.gov.au/Campbell-Town-Urban-Design-&-Traffic-Management).
• Council’s Works Manager gave a presentation about the streetscape project proposal to the Campbell Town District Committee in October 2023.
• The Development Application for the project (PLN-23-0199) was advertised in October 2023. During the development application process, the community had an additional opportunity to raise concerns and provide feedback; however, no representations were received. 
• Council’s stakeholder and community engagement team contacted many businesses in the area by phone between November 2024 and February 2025 to advise them of the project status, and to obtain up-to-date contact details for provision of further information and updates on the project.

• Initial plans for the project were uploaded to the Northern Midlands Council webpage in June 2021 and again in late 2023 as part of the abovementioned Development Application process. Revised plans showing the revised bus stop locations were released to the community in March 2025.

   

What changes have been made following community consultation and feedback?

• Following feedback received from the community, Council removed the proposed relocation of the northbound and southbound bus stops from the current project design. 
• The northbound bus stop, which was initially proposed for outside 102-104 High Street, will remain in its current location (outside of the Elizabeth Court Car Park). The southbound bus stop, which was initially proposed for outside 101 High Street, will now be installed outside of the library at 79 High Street. 

When will these works be completed?

The council has yet to appoint a contractor to complete the works. We anticipate that the overall project will take approximately 9 (nine) months to complete; however, the successful contractor may be able to deliver the project in a quicker timeframe. Once a contractor has been appointed, we will let you know when the work will start. 
 

How will this project impact businesses in the area?

Council acknowledges that there will be some short-term disruption to pedestrian and vehicle movements within the precinct during these works; however, streetscaping works are generally completed in stages to minimise disruption. 

Our contractor will work with adjacent businesses to ensure that access to businesses is always maintained during business hours. 

Who is paying for the project?

This project is jointly funded by the Northern Midlands Council and the Australian Government.

How can I find out more information?

We are committed to updating the community as these works progress through our webpage and Facebook page. You can also contact Sarah on 0418 828 896 or email council@nmc.tas.gov.au