Huon Valley Council
Tasmania’s rapid growth presents opportunities for the Huon Valley. Navigating this growth while protecting heritage and the environment is essential to ensuring the Valley's continued success and resilience.
The Huon Valley is strategically located to benefit from Tasmania's rapid growth, with its proximity to Hobart and desirable amenities. However, this growth must be managed carefully to protect the region's historical, cultural, and natural significance. With the increasing impact of climate change, it's crucial that future planning addresses and mitigates these risks effectively.
Huon Valley Council enlisted the expertise of SGS Economics and Planning, in collaboration with Ireneinc and Resonance, to lead the development of a Community Vision and Land Use and Development Strategy (LUDS). This initiative aims to guide the placement of housing, infrastructure, and employment as the Huon Valley evolves. With a focus on sustainability and the preservation of local character, the strategy outlines how the housing needs of the expanding community will be met.
The development of the new LUDS to replace the previous iteration completed in 2007 was a substantial effort executed in multiple phases. It commenced in July 2022 with the development of the State of the Valley report, which included comprehensive background research on various topics such as population dynamics, housing, infrastructure, and employment. This provided a detailed snapshot of the Huon Valley's current situation and identified the community's present and future needs.
Following this, SGS examined a range of future projections to compile a discussion paper. This included analysing population forecasts, estimating future housing needs and the availability of residential land, assessing requirements and capacities for industrial and commercial employment spaces, and evaluating community infrastructure supply and demand.
Additionally, the LUDS benefited from multiple rounds of consultation with the Huon Valley community. It offers strategic guidance and implementation across ten key themes.
Council endorsed the strategy in March 2024, marking it as the primary strategic document to guide the development of local plans moving forward.
Click here to read the LUDS report.
This project received the 2024 Tasmania Planning Excellence Award in the Strategic Planning Project category from the Planning Institute of Australia.
