Presenting your Devonport Showground masterplan

After months of listening to the people of Devonport so we can really understand your hopes for the Showground site, we’ve released the Masterplan for the Devonport Showground development. Today, we’d love to share what makes it special.

 
 
 

The place

There’s nowhere on Earth like Tasmania. The climate, the landforms, the wildlife. That first breath of fresh air as you step off the boat or plane - the cleanest in the world. The people who are as self-sufficient as they are community-minded. And the craftsmanship that attracts attention from every corner of the globe. 41 degrees South is a special place to be.

Zooming in on the North West, there’s even more to appreciate. Rolling pastures, turquoise coastlines, rugged bluffs, and rich red soils that can grow just about anything. It’s the economic and productive heart of Tassie, and Devonport, the gateway to this exceptional region, is going from strength to strength.

As developers (though, we prefer to think of ourselves as “community builders”), we are in love with everything that makes Devonport incredible. The skilled and diverse workforce offering options and innovations aplenty. World-class food and produce, right on the doorstep. Proximity to the mainland and the ultimate rural and coastal lifestyle. These things should never change, only be enhanced through homes, jobs, and opportunity for the people of Devonport.

The site

The Devonport Showground has seen it all. Champion cows and fancy hats; jumping ponies and CWA sponge cakes; classic cars and circus elephants. The showground site is home to over 100 years of history and heritage, and holds some of Devonport’s fondest memories.

Further back in time to the earliest days of white settlement (when Van Diemen’s Land was reserved for the brave or badly behaved), the site might have witnessed the first tents being pitched, the first buildings going up, the first signs of industry.

And for thousands of years before that, when inhabited by the traditional owners, this place would have looked very different indeed.

The Devonport Showground site has always played a central role in this community and will continue to do so. But rather than suffering disrepair, disuse, and a diminishing heartbeat, it will be given new life as a thriving community precinct. A community asset that benefits everyone in Devonport.

This rich and important heritage, inseparable from Devonport itself, takes pride of place in the Masterplan. Streets, open spaces, and features will honour it in their names; homes, jobs, and opportunity will respect it in what they bring to the community; and the stories of Devonport Showground will always be told.

We value this heritage as much as you do and feel privileged to be carrying it forward.

Have your say on how we build a $75 million investment in homes, jobs, and opportunity for Devonport

The plan

The plan is really nothing new. At its heart, it’s who you are today. It’s what you believe in, what you represent and what you stand for. It’s an expression of what you’ve shared with us over the last four years of community engagement and consultation. It’s Devonport, on paper.

Rather than row after row of identical homes, you’ve told us that you want options. So the Masterplan delivers them. In it, you’ll see a diversity of high-quality homes that cater to all kinds of families, lifestyles and life stages. Little homes, bigger homes, assisted living homes, specialist housing including NDIS and social housing; homes to rent or to buy; homes that can easily adapt to changing needs over the course of a lifetime.

Speaking of lifetimes, the plan honours your desire to age in place. With a state-of-the-art health precinct, on-site services, community groups, art centres, and an abundance of natural spaces for fresh air and exercise, staying independent-yet-connected will be easy. And of course, you’re a stone’s throw from the centre of Devonport.

You’ve told us that your ideal neighbourhood is a living, thriving place, not just somewhere to lay your head. That’s why we’ve included a purpose-built community hub for meetings and gatherings, markets, playgrounds, creative spaces, and a cafe. There’s space set aside for groups who currently use the Showground, and room for new ones too. Conversations, laughter, creativity, relaxation, learning, helping, playing and togetherness are a natural by-product of this planning.

And finally, you’ll notice open spaces. We’ve given 15% of the site straight back to the people of Devonport as parklands, cycleways, playgrounds, dog parks, community gardens and lakes. The requirement is just 5%. The Devonport Showground is a community asset, and making it available for everyone to enjoy is simply the right thing to do. For the people who call this precinct home, being able to walk in the sunshine, cycle into town, catch up with friends, relax in the shade or potter in the garden will tick the most important boxes of all: health and happiness. We’ve championed open spaces and community connection because you do.

The synergy

Every element of the Masterplan reflects the wants and needs of Devonport. What’s truly special is how these elements harmonise.

One violin player doesn’t make an orchestra any more than a few extra houses don’t make a community. But when all the many and varied facets fit together: the right homes, services, open spaces, arts centres, cafes, bike paths - and on top of that, you add people of all ages, stages, and abilities with a shared love of Devonport, something beautiful emerges.

A development that is greater than the sum of its parts, and has a life and soul of its own.

You can feel the difference when you step into a well-thought-out, made-for-real-people community precinct. There’s a sense of connectedness, prosperity, and contentment. Spaces are enjoyed. People stay local. Everything just works.

We’re proud to present a Masterplan that articulates your wishes for Devonport now, and into the future. If you haven’t already seen it, you can take a look here. And we’d love for you to share your thoughts in our comprehensive consultation program. This program ensures that you can have your say on how we build 200 homes, jobs, and opportunity for Devonport, and we invite you to register today.

Have your say on how we build a $75 million investment in homes, jobs, and opportunity for Devonport

 
 
MasterplanKieran Sheather