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Hobart backs proposed Wooden Boat Guild sublease at Battery Point reserve
A City of Hobart committee has recommended granting the Wooden Boat Guild of Tasmania a sublease over part of Purdon & Featherstone Reserve for up to 10 years at a nominal rent, with public consultation still to come.
Part of Purdon & Featherstone Reserve at Battery Point is set to go out for public consultation after Hobart's workshop committee backed a proposed sublease to the Wooden Boat Guild of Tasmania.
At its 13 April meeting, the Hobart Workshop Committee carried a motion recommending the City of Hobart grant the guild a sublease over part of the reserve for up to 10 years at a nominal rent of $1 a year. The motion was carried by absolute majority.
The committee resolution also set out the statutory consultation steps required under section 178 of the Local Government Act 1993. Those steps include publishing notice of the proposed sublease at least twice in a daily newspaper circulating in the municipal area, displaying a notice on the boundary of the public land where it abuts a highway, and advising that objections can be made to the chief executive officer within 21 days of the first publication.
For residents and users of the site, the proposal concerns future use of part of a public reserve in Battery Point. The minutes show the sublease would apply only to the part of the reserve identified in a plan attached to the agenda item, rather than the whole reserve.
The proposed sublease is not yet unconditional. The committee's recommendation says the arrangement would proceed only if no objections are received through the public advertising process. If an objection is received, the matter is to return to council for further consideration.
The resolution also makes the proposed sublease conditional on final Crown consent. It further states the guild must agree not to identify the proposed facility through signage or membership in a way that indicates it is solely gender specific.
In the same meeting, the committee noted and closed a report on a notice of motion from November 2023 about supporting elected members to hold a Registration to Work with Vulnerable People card. It also later resolved to close part of the meeting to discuss confidential items, including Risk and Audit Panel minutes and closed questions without notice.
Reference minutes
Source: City of Hobart Hobart Workshop Committee public minutes, 13 April 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- The Hobart Workshop Committee on 13 April 2026 carried a motion on a proposed sublease to the Wooden Boat Guild of Tasmania.
- The recommendation is for a sublease over part of Purdon & Featherstone Reserve, Battery Point, for up to 10 years.
- The proposed rent is nominal, at $1.00 per annum.
- The motion was carried by absolute majority.
- Statutory consultation under section 178 of the Local Government Act 1993 must be undertaken before the sublease proceeds.
- Objections may be made to the chief executive officer within 21 days of the first publication of notice.
- If an objection is received, the matter is to return to council for further consideration.
- The proposed sublease is also conditional on final Crown consent.
Why it matters
- The proposal affects part of a public reserve in Battery Point and now moves to a formal consultation stage where nearby residents and other interested people can object before any sublease is finalised.