Brisbane St Mall redevelopment underway

Published on 24 April 2018

Construction has started on the redevelopment of the Brisbane St Mall today, after site preparation works last week.

Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten, Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher and Tasmanian Liberal Senator David Bushby turned the first sod on construction works this morning.

The mall's old roof canopy was removed last week, and will be relocated to the 'North Bank' park where it will be used as a shelter structure as part of that redevelopment.

The pavers have also been removed and will be available for purchase by the public through the Uptipity re-use shop at the Launceston Waste Centre.

Street furniture has been removed and relocated to the Council's Remount Rd depot, where it will be refurbished and re-used in future projects where required.

The mature trees previously situated in the mall have been relocated to the Council's tree nursery and to parks around Launceston until construction is complete.

Northern Tasmanian construction company The Baker Group is overseeing the Brisbane St Mall redevelopment, which will include more seating, more shelter, more greenery, and the addition of thylacine-themed interactive elements.

Seating will be increased from 60 to 100 seats, while the space sheltered by canopies will be increased from 270 square metres to 300 square metres.

This week work will focus on an upgrade to the mall's stormwater capacity, which will also see the replacement of all stormwater branch service connections to individual properties.

Installation of electrical and irrigation conduits will also begin this week.

The project is scheduled for completion at the end of September, weather permitting.

Two temporary vehicle holding bays have been set up at either end of the mall to ensure equipment can be brought to site safely, and motorists are asked to be mindful of any traffic signage which may be in place in Charles and St John Streets.

Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said the Council was holding weekly stakeholder meetings with mall traders and the Baker Group to discuss issues, advise of work schedules, and to take any feedback on board.

"One of our key goals throughout this project is to keep access open to all businesses throughout construction," Mayor van Zetten said.

"Retrofitting a public space is always going to pose a challenge, but we are working to minimise disruption to businesses wherever possible, and we hope to be able to deliver a fantastic redevelopment

"Our aim is that it's business as usual throughout the project.

"With that goal in mind, we're undertaking an accelerated works program for this redevelopment, which will see work at night and at weekends, so that we can get the work done as soon as possible.

"We thank the public for their patience while construction is underway, and for all the public input we've received on the designs for the mall and the overall Launceston City Heart Project."