Source: Monday 26 October 2026 Council Meeting Agenda
This post publishes the Q&A printed in the meeting agenda exactly as it appears.
Q1. Early this year the planning authority approved a subdivision in Coach Road (Chigwell). A condition of the permit was that one of the lots resulting from the subdivision would be public open space (POS).
When that lot comes into existence, will council formally record its designation as POS? If so, how? In an internal council database? In the title of the lot to be created? Some other manner?
A1. Under this scenario the land would have its own title created that would be transferred to the ownership of Council and be recorded as “Council-owned Public Land”. All Council-owned public land is able to viewed here: https://maps.gcc.tas.gov.au/ (Live and Play link, then Council Owned Public Land tab.
Public open space is not necessarily a separate, uniform designation recorded on a title. Its status may instead be identified through a combination of the subdivision approval and plan, Council ownership and property records, planning-scheme zoning, and the land’s intended and actual use. Council can examine the records for a particular parcel if more detail is required.
Q2. If designations of land as POS is recorded, will council provide me with a spreadsheet of all land parcels in Glenorchy that are currently designated as POS?
A2. As above, there is no definitive designation or register identifying every parcel as public open space or otherwise. The meaning and application of that term can depend on many factors such as public ownership, zoning, and the land’s intended and actual use.
All Council-owned public land is able to viewed here: https://maps.gcc.tas.gov.au/ (Live and Play link, then Council Owned Public Land tab). If there is a specific land parcel of interest Council is happy to review that parcel.
Q3. Are there ways that council can acquire land for POS apart from subdivisions?
A3. Yes, Council could purchase land, have land donated, or re-purpose existing Council-owned land to open space uses.
Q4. Can council simply decide to designate an existing lot as POS? If so, how?
A4. Yes, Council is able to re-purpose existing Council-owned land to open space uses, subject to any planning scheme or other potential restrictions on the land.
Q5. Can a lot lose its designation as POS? If so, how?
A5. Whether land can cease being used as open space depends on the circumstances of the particular parcel, including its ownership, planning scheme zoning, title or reserve restrictions, acquisition history and any Council decisions or management arrangements applying to it.
A change to Open Space zoning would require a planning-scheme amendment. Separately, Council treats all Council-owned land as public land for disposal purposes. Any proposed sale or other disposal must therefore follow the public process applying to public land, including public notification and the opportunity to object.
Council’s Proceeds of Property Disposals Policy (read 27/10/26 download) provides an additional safeguard. If any Council land is disposed of following that public process that policy ensures that any public land sold that is zoned or ‘designated’ for use as open space has the sale proceeds protected into a special reserve that can only be used for the acquisition, development and/or improvement of open spaces. The policy’s use of the phrase ‘designated’ for use of open space in this context is to ensure any sale proceeds of open space land are directed back to open space areas for the community. This ‘designated’ for use as open space requires a case by case assessment of the land in question which will consider not only the zoning of the land, but also how that land is predominantly used by the community.
Q6. Is there more or less POS in Glenorchy now than ten years ago? What is the difference?
A6. This would require a significant research project requiring detailed analysis of historic property, planning and land use records, as well as case by case assessments of all Council land parcels to accurately assess.
As noted above all public land disposals are publicly reported. As also noted above additional open space does get created via subdivisions, other land acquisitions, or re-purposing existing Council land. For example, the recent expansion of parkland within Tolosa Park with the dam reintegration project created over 7-hectares of additional public open space.
The end.
