It comes after Bass Liberal MHR Bridget Archer wrote to the council last month seeking solutions for a Waverley community food co-op that was searching for infrastructure to store and distribute fresh food in the area.

In a speech to Parliament last week, she highlighted "a need for community infrastructure for the area", using the example of the food co-op to demonstrate the difficulties in accessing fresh food without a car. Ms Archer discussed the matter with council in February.

Related: Bread and basics: Waverley left to fend for itself during COVID-19

She said she would work with the council to progress these infrastructure needs in the coming months.

"The local store provides a great service, but it doesn't provide fresh food options, and nor should it be expected to," Ms Archer said.

"There's increasingly a gap between what the community needs and deserves and what it has.

"The community co-op is wonderful and has the opportunity to grow. But, to do so, it will need to operate out of a full bricks-and-mortar building, with essential infrastructure in place.

"And, even in a suburb of 1500 people, such a building does not currently exist."

The lack of fresh food options in Waverley became apparent during COVID-19, when the primary school had to stop its role as distributor of food relief. Danielle and Nathan Watkins established the co-op to fill this gap.

The council determined that temporary pandemic infrastructure for food storage "would only be taken in extreme circumstances" in an emergency response, led by the state government.

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Instead, the Assets Based Community Driven Effort Learning Sites program could be used to improve community infrastructure, but it could be up to two years before its rolled out in Waverley and St Leonards.

Mayor Albert van Zetten said there were still other methods for the Waverley community to express its wants and needs, and he looked forward to working collaboratively with the federal government.

"In the meantime, our Tomorrow Together community engagement program will recommence in the new financial year. People living in suburbs like Waverley will be encouraged to participate in that process so that we can hear voices across the entire community to better inform strategic decision-making," he said.

"The City of Launceston is eager to work with communities like Waverley to build resilience, sustainability, connectivity and new infrastructure."