Trails Tasmania Project

Trails Tasmania Updates

Update 1
3 April 2007

Reminder that the deadline for surveys (of existing trails and new development proposals) has been extended until 11 April 2007. If you have not seen the surveys or need extra copies, they can be downloaded from the Trails Tasmania website: www.development.tas.gov.au/sportrec/trails. Completed surveys should be sent to the consultants at Inspiring Place (as per instructions on the surveys).

If you require any further information contact the project manager Keith Ryan on 6336 2011 or Keith.Ryan@development.tas.gov.au

Update 2
30 April 2007

Development of the Trails Tasmania Strategy continues to progress with the project on track to have the final strategy ready for release at the end of August 2007.

The initial round of consultations have been completed and the surveys and inventories of existing trails and known proposals have been collated and entered into a single consistent database. Research on participation trends has been collected and incorporated into a needs analysis of trail users.

The consultants developing the strategy are currently working a discussion paper that will be released for public review by mid May with an e-mail update to be sent when the discussion paper is released.

The discussion paper will summarise the findings from the research that has been undertaken to date and explore the key issues that have emerged. Various potential strategies to address each of these issues will be presented for discussion and feedback.

Anyone with an interest in trails is encouraged to read the discussion paper and provide feedback within the period for public comment. It is anticipated that members of the public will have four weeks to provide comment once the discussion paper is released.

Update 3
24 May 2007

A discussion paper on trails in Tasmania has been released for public review and comment. Anyone with an interest in trails is encouraged to read the discussion paper and provide feedback within the period for public comment.  

The discussion paper summarises the key findings from the research and consultations to date. It outlines some of the proposed strategies for trail management in Tasmania and includes proposed assessment criteria to be included in the final strategy. It is not intended to be a draft strategy but a paper designed to generate discussion, feedback and input that will be considered in the preparation of the draft Trails Tasmania Strategy.

In order to assist in the analysis of feedback a ‘response form’ has been prepared to direct comments in particular areas. The ‘response form’ specifically asks for feedback on three areas:

• issues facing trails in Tasmania

• strategies for the future planning, development, maintenance and promotion of trails in Tasmania, and

• criteria to assess future trail development proposals.

The response form also provides opportunities for general comment.

The discussion paper and response form can be found here.

In an attempt to save paper and recognising e-mail memory limitations, the website is seen as the easiest and quickest way to distribute the discussion paper and response form. If you have problems downloading these documents or would like an electronic version sent via e-mail please send a return e-mail to Lyn.Jackson@development.tas.gov.au, so that electronic versions can be e-mailed directly.

Hard copies of the discussion paper and response form will be sent to those people on the trails contact list who do not have e-mail addresses. If you have received this trails update and would specifically like a hard copy please contact Sport and Recreation Tasmania on 1800 252 476.

The deadline for submissions is 5.00 pm Friday 22 June.  Response forms should be e-mailed or sent directly to the consultants at Inspiring Place.

E-mail: info@inspiringplace.com.au
Fax: (03) 6231 1819
Mail: 208 Collins Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000.

Update 4
15 June 2007

This update is a reminder that there is only ONE WEEK left to provide comment on the Trails Tasmania Discussion Paper. The deadline for submissions is 5.00 pm Friday 22 June.  

To date, consultants Inspiring Place have received around 30 response forms and would like to hear from more organisations and individuals regarding their perceptions of the issues, strategies and assessment criteria outlined in the discussion paper. Anyone with an interest in trails is encouraged to read the discussion paper and provide feedback by the end of next week.    

It is worth noting that the discussion paper is NOT a draft strategy, but a document designed to generate discussion, feedback and constructive input that will help shape the draft Trails Tasmania Strategy. This process provides the opportunity for those people with an interest in trails in Tasmania to have a direct input into the future planning for trails in the State.  

For anyone who has not seen the discussion paper and response form, they can be found here.

If you have problems downloading these documents or would like a copy sent via e-mail please send a return e-mail to Lyn.Jackson@development.tas.gov.au. If you would specifically like a hard copy please contact Sport and Recreation Tasmania on 1800 252 476.  

Completed response forms should be e-mailed or sent directly to the consultants at Inspiring Place.  

E-mail: info@inspiringplace.com.au
Fax: (03) 6231 1819
Mail: 208 Collins Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000.

Update 5
27 July 2007

A discussion paper was released for public comment in June 2007, which summarised the key findings from research and initial consultations about trails in Tasmania. It also provided an outline of the proposed strategies for trail management in Tasmania. Over 95 submissions were received from a range of different individuals and organisations across the state, commenting on the paper. Overall, there was strong support for the development of a statewide approach to trails and a high level of support for the strategies and assessment criteria outlined.  

The consultants from Inspiring Place are currently preparing the draft Trails Tasmania Strategy.  It is expected that the first draft of the Trails Tasmania Strategy will be circulated to a group of around 20 key stakeholders in the first week of August. Based on the feedback received from these key stakeholders, the strategy will be revised before being released for public comment.  

Sport and Recreation Tasmania would like to thank all those individuals and organisations who have participated in the various consultations, to date. A large number of people have participated in different aspects of the formal consultation phase. This is shown in the following numbers:

• over 50 people attended the three regional public forums in February
• 60 survey responses were received for the inventory of existing trails
• 70 proposals for new trail developments were received, which equated to 61 unique trail development proposals
• over 95 submissions were received on the discussion paper
• 268 individuals have received the project updates via e-mail.
  
  
  

Update 6
5 October 2007

The final Trails Tasmania Strategy has been received from the consultants at Inspiring Place.  The final draft was reviewed by the project steering committee and a group of around 20 key stakeholders.  The overall response to the draft strategy is favourable from the key stakeholders who responded. There were some specific changes suggested that have since been incorporated into the final report.

The final report is divided into two documents, the strategy itself, and a background report which contains detailed research and other background information that contributed to the formation of the final strategy.  The background report also contains a number of detailed attachments that document all the notes from the various public and key stakeholder consultations, including the nominations for future trail developments. Another attachment will form the basis of a 'toolkit' targeted towards local government and community groups to assist with the planning and decision making around local trail projects.

At this stage the document is with the various agencies on the steering committee for final review. Given the potential budget implications of some of the strategies, in principle cabinet approval may be required before the document is publicly released.  As such the final document is not expected to be publicly released until November 2007.

For further information on the Trails Tasmania Strategy please visit the Trails Tasmania website at www.development.tas.gov.au/sportrec/trails or contact the project manager, Keith Ryan on 6336 2011 or at Keith.Ryan@development.tas.gov.au  

Update 7
20 December 2007

TRAILS TASMANIA  

The Minister for Community Development, Michelle O’Byrne, today released a strategy for the management of trails in Tasmania: the Trails Tasmania Strategy.

The strategy has been prepared by the consultants at Inspiring Place, with the support of the project steering committee, which included representatives from Sport and Recreation Tasmania, Tourism Tasmania, the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, Forestry Tasmania and Hydro Tasmania.  Each of these agencies, along with the Premier’s Physical Activity Council, provided funding to support the engagement of consultants to develop the strategy.

Inspiring Place has been developing the strategy over the last year and has undertaken extensive consultation with land managers, trail users and other key stakeholders and individuals with an interest in the development, management, maintenance, marketing and promotion of recreational trails in Tasmania. The consultation included the following:

• public and land manager surveys

• public forums

• meetings with key stakeholders

• review of the discussion paper by public comment

• review of the draft strategy by key stakeholders.

The final report has been divided into four documents to assist with downloading from the internet:

• Executive Summary – an excerpt from the strategy that will provide a brief overview

• Trails Tasmania Strategy – the strategy itself, with identified priorities and actions

• Trails Tasmania Background Report – the detailed research and other background information that contributed to the formation of the strategy  

• Attachments to the Background Report -  a number of detailed attachments that have been separated from the background report – due to their large size – to assist with downloading.  

The four documents can be found here.

Given the financial implications of the strategies proposed, it is the intention of the Minister for Community Development, Michelle O’Byrne MP, to take a budget submission to cabinet early next year for consideration in the 2008-09 state budget.

For further information on the development of the Trails Tasmania Strategy, please visit the Trails Tasmania website at www.development.tas.gov.au/sportrec/trails or contact the project sponsor, Nic Deka at Sport and Recreation Tasmania on 6434 6250 or at  Nic.Deka@development.tas.gov.au.