The City of Launceston has voted to develop concept designs for two possible locations for an upgraded CBD bus interchange, both on St John Street.
Councillors at Thursday’s meeting endorsed officer recommendations to progress concepts for the current bus stop location at St John Street South and St John Street North, outside St Andrews Church.
A third option – a transport hub at Civic Square and Charles Street – has been scrapped after the Department of State Growth and Metro Tasmania advised they could not support it.
A separate proposal to temporarily move the B1 bus stop to outside the church has also been dropped.
The council voted to extend a security presence at the existing interchange until the end of the year.
Mayor Matthew Garwood said the location had been debated for years.
“This has been talked about for a long time,” Garwood said.
“We’re now in a position where the location has been narrowed down and we are ready to have some concepts prepared ahead of a final decision.”
The agenda paper lists previous consideration of the issue stretching back to April 2017.
A member of the public told the meeting he had walked the street and could not see evidence the road was failing.
“I went and had a look at the street and I think the standard is fair and I don’t see any remedial work that’s required,” he said.
The council’s engineering team said deflectograph testing carried out last year showed the section between Paterson and York streets was structurally failed and among the worst in the CBD.
Councillor Tim Walker, who has long advocated for the Civic Square option, moved to defer the matter.
He said the council had not been united on the issue and more discussion was needed before approaching the state government.
“For seven years I have pushed the idea that we need to get the buses slightly out of the CBD and to be based around the Civic Square,” Walker said.
“I note in this report that every particular lever has been pulled to say that that can’t be possible.”
The mayor advised the motion could not be deferred. It was carried, with Walker recorded against.
Concept designs for the two shortlisted options are expected later this year.
