Archive for the Minutes Category

Agenda

• Moving Canberra: Integrated Transport Strategy, Geoff Davidson, TCCS
• Michael Pettersson, Yerrabi MLA

GCC Community Meeting

11 July 2018

Gungahlin Library

6:30 – 8:30 pm

Chair: Peter Elford (President).

Attendees: see attendance log

An Integrated Transport Network for Canberra

A network of light rail and buses designed to offer greater service coverage and frequency, seven days a week at peak and off-peak times across Canberra.

Presentation by:

Kristin Blume from Transport Canberra

Megan Oldfield from Light Rail

Duncan Edgehill from DD Transport Canberra

Ian ? from Bus Networks

The Presenters were here to consult on new network design, planned to make a better public transport system which will attract more people onto public transport. Currently only 8% of the public use it.

Gungahlin is unique in having a light rail with new journey planners and a new ticketing system.  People will not necessarily need to use their My Way card but the question remains about  how trip information will be tracked.

The aim is to make the bus network more efficient and the planners are interested in any infrastructure ideas people may have.   We know rapid routes are popular. Half of all Canberrans will eventually live within walking distance of a rapid route in the new network.  Previously the northern part of Gungahlin was not well served by public transport.   This has been addressed and it is now  planned to have bi-directional loops.

Schools network.   The majority of students are using the ordinary bus network. In the new network 30% more trips will be going past schools.. More services will provide more flexibility for students. Investments are also planned for more customer service officers at interchanges.

Rapid service will be provided by frequent buses on trunk routes.

Questions from the floor:

• An important feature of the rapid routes is that they do have some stops on the way.   It is  not just a point-to-point service.  What is the walking distance?    As a yard-stick it is 800m to a rapid route and 500m to a local route.
• What is the difference in walking distance for a young person and a pensioner?    We have other services that can also be utilized.  For example demand services for pensioners.
• In using different technologies for paying fares have you thought of interstate solutions?   The ACT government is the first to move to an account based system
• The percentage of  Gungahlin within walking distance of public transport is 20%.    80% of people do not live within walking distance and travel time is too much.    With more frequent services there will be less waiting time.
• Is there any mechanism to ensure buses interconnect with each other? If people are  interchanging between Rapids the intent is to make transport so frequent that there will be no need to timetable it. Where we need to focus on  timetables, it is make sure they are sensible so that connections do occur.
• I think bidirectional is superb.
• People use Google Maps – have you set that up for new network?    It does not yet exist on Google Maps but work is being done in the background.
• The airport has no bus routes but a lot of people work there.   Why are you not proposing direct rapid there?   We have in new rapid network from Belconnen, through Civic to the airport
• Concerns about a student who has to take three buses in each direction to go to school.    If that person would like to provide specific details that will be welcomed.
• In planning for a new journey planner, will there be real time feedback? That already exists.
• With account based ticketing, is there no reason to include other account based service e.g. ride sharing?   Yes, priority will be given to bedding down transport.
• What will be done to improve on the chaos in interchanges – what does it mean from a passenger perspective?   We need to ensure signage and ‘way finding’ is right.  And also how different routes will align and how busy the queues are.
• Is the new network integrated or comparable with Light Rail?    Forefront of our thinking as that each time new suburb is built, is to look at when new bus services need to be installed.

Looking at implementing bus services:

• Gungahlin to Tuggeranong service – has not been planned but if feedback indicates a demand is in place then we will explore it.  There was an election commitment. We will take that back if there is a need for a community service.
• Crace bus services need to loop back to the marketplace.
• Gundaroo Drive stops needed also.
• We will be getting rid of some bus stops, including all ‘school only’ bus stops.
• When will the Nextbus signage occur?   They will be in within four weeks.

• When will light rail construction finish in the town centre?    The landscaping is complete, the stop is under construction. In August Capital metro is having a career expo for drivers, controllers and customer service officers.   August 16 is national rail safety week and we will have an event in Gungahlin.
• It would it be great to have light rail over both bridges to service all parts of network.   Time will tell.

• Bicycles – can we put bikes on Light Rail?   Four bikes per vehicle. There will be a specific area for them.
• LR vehicles in Sydney will be mostly standing.   Will that be the case here?  There will be about 60 seats per vehicle but will expect people to stand also. Stops are future-proofed to allow for expansion. Canberra’s model is closer to that of the Gold Coast
• Where will the Light Rail stop in Civic?   Alinga street.   The bus interchange will also be changed to better align to Light Rail and the new network.
• What are the facilities for park and ride and kiss and ride?    There are bus ‘pull outs’ for kiss and ride.   Nothing has been developed for park and ride specifically for this project.  We will think a lot about it and whether we will pursue it. It needs integration with ticketing.  Epic park and ride will come back on line once construction is complete.
• Frequency is every six minutes in peak time – what about other times? We will be increasing frequency for inter-peak to 15 minutes.
• What will be done to stop ‘platooning’?    Canberra is different from Melbourne given that it is not in congestion. Light rail will have signal priority.
• If light rail has priority does that mean buses don’t?   Buses wont run down Northbourne Ave. Where it does cross we have given consideration to the road surface.    The intersection of Flemington and Wells Station can become airborne.  There are multiple times that the contractor will touch an intersection.   We are  going through the process of finalising the work.
• In the town centre,  are you getting a sense about what LightRail will look like?     There will be a noticeable difference to when the bus station started up. Aesthetically it looks very nice, particularly when the awnings come down.
• Between Coles and Aldi we have a pedestrian  desire line.   Plants will grow to form a barrier.
• What are the Light Rail operations times?   Generally 0600-2400.
• Canberra Times said that testing started late.   Are we still on schedule?    The program is for  late 2018.  Mitchell will have a stop in stage 2.    Even if everything agreed processes, it means it would be able to commence in time for Light Rail stage 1.    The operating contract is complicated so other things need to be renegotiated.
• Will the bus network support the Light Rail till midnight?   We are trying to get to a point where the bus network matches the Light Rail operating hours.
• What do you have in mind to publicise how well the system works? We need to let people know it is working well and promote it.  Before it begins there will be a number of campaigns to promote the Light Rail. Once it is up and running there will be the numbers of people using it.
• When are the Orange buses going? We are getting rid of them as quickly as we can.  There are forty buses on order and another 80 coming. By 2022 we hope to have them totally phased out.
• Will there be a Park and Pedal site between Gungahlin and the city? I’ll take that on notice.
• What times are the carriages doing their testing?   At the moment between Nullarbor and Gungahlin we are testing different stages and different functionalities. The next section will be Downer to Mitchell, then to Dickson.
• What of active travel into Gungahlin terminus – paths into terminus and end of trip facilities? Will need to be examined.
• Park and ride is not very equitable.   It does not suit part time workers.. I have sympathy for that observation. Installing boom gates would require registering car registration with My Way card
• Closing slip lanes on Flemington Road at Mapleton Avenue would help improve traffic.  I’ll take that on notice.
• When will night works will finish?   As soon as we can. We are transitioning more from construction to testing, which will move towards the daytime activities.

Minutes taken by Andrew Braddock

GCC Community Meeting

13 June 2018

Gungahlin Club

6:30 – 8:30 pm

Chair: Henley Samuels (Vice-President).

Attendees: see attendance log

Agenda Item 1: Light Rail Update, Mark Jones, Deputy Project Director, Capital Metro and Steven Sancberg Director, Engineering, TCCS.

Presentation by Mark Jones, Deputy Project Director, and Glenn Stockton, CEO Capital Metro, on the current state of the Light Rail installation

Current status of the project construction

50% of the rail is now installed and over 300 trees have been planted.

In Gungahlin Place civil and landscaping works will be completed by the end of June.

Roadside barriers are progressively being removed along the Gungahlin corridor.

Asphalting of roads and line marking will occur in spring.

Safety messages are important as the overhead wires are now live and carry 750 volts.

These are six metres above the road.   A rigorous testing program will ensure the protection of the travelling public, especially trucks with over-height loads.

Pedestrians are encouraged to always cross at designated intersections and crossings.   The rails are set in concrete grooves so bikes should always cross at right angles to avoid getting stuck.   Basically people should obey the signals and normal road rules, which remain the same.

Questions from the floor

• What access has been planned for people with disability?  It was considered in the design stage.   All vehicles have low floors, which are level with Stops to allow for easy access.   There are no steps in the vehicles themselves.   Arrangements have also been made for sight-impaired people.
• Hours of operation?     From 0600-2300 weekdays, and till 0100 on weekends.
• When will street-lights along Flemington road be restored?  Progressively over next few weeks we will see these come on-line.
• What are the rules for carrying large objects and bikes on trams?    Will Meegan Fitzharris give an assurance that bikes will be able to stay on when the vehicles are full? Cannot speak for the Minister.
• The shelters are quite narrow.   How effective will they be at keeping people out of rain and sun?   The glass pane in the centre will keep out wind. These can encroach over the rail area. Steve Sancberg, Transport Canberra, replied that the reach of the canopies is larger than other similar systems and that there are sun lights in the shelters.
• Will there be any pedestrian access between Gungahlin and Aldi?    There will be two crossing points opposite the two entrances, since three access points from Coles there are desire lines between the two crossings. Landscaping will form a barrier.
• South of Wizard Road there is a severe angle of 45 degrees?  Will the bark chip there get washed away?  Once planted it will become stable.
• Confirmed operational by end of this year? Yes
• Will there be pedestrian lighting under bridges?  Will need to check and respond to that question
• Has asphalting at Wells Station been completed?   Not yet.
• Are the stations smoke-free?   Yes.
• Will the Mitchell station be built in next phase?  The ACT government announced it in the recent budget.
• How easy would it be to do it now?    It has not been planned in the current construction.
• How long will security cameras record?    They will retain the data for a period of time.

Agenda Item 2: Suzanne Orr MLA

Building Quality Inquiry

There is now a legislative assembly inquiry and submissions are invited.

Questions from floor

• What are the outcomes of 2016 recommendations?   Work is progressing.
• Are there any statistics on complaints?    That has been asked many times but comprehensive data is difficult to come by.
• The public does not know what elements of contracts can and cannot be changed.    The 2016 reforms will better inform consumers.
• Is this a result of changing certification?   It is the result of lots of things.
• Shouldn’t regulation have been in place in the first place?  The evolution is in hand with expansion.
• What about development applications?    Planning inquiry also in place
• Builders are ‘phoenixing’.   There needs to be a link to builders’ licences. This is something that is being examined.
• Will the changing certification scheme drive changes in liability. Changing the certification process will not change the liability responsibilities.
• Is there extra money in the budget for an extra assessor in EPSDD.  EPSDD have indicated staffing is ok.   Difficulties are just due to the complexity of the build.

Gungahlin Town Centre East Community Park

An on-line survey is seeking views on the new community linear park indicating that people are very keen for green space. Ms Orr asked for this meeting’s views.

Ideas from the floor:

• Play areas for young children, not for older kids.  These need to put in at an early stage to avoid getting ‘push back’ from the local community.
• Would like to see the government keep to their 2012 commitment for Casey park and will follow this up.
• The park at Crace near Gundaroo Drive is a really good example.
• A pinball parlour would be good.
• Suggestion for a very narrow green strip from north to south with a wall of concrete on either side.
• The town park is already suitable for community events.
• Access to electricity is important for community groups.
• The park requires integrated parking.
• Why can this not be done through the ‘Your Say’ Initiative from me as the local member rather than the government. It is a part of government. ‘Your Say’ is used by the directorates.
• Use of survey platforms on party websites collects information for campaigning purposes.    This is only being used for this express purposes, not for any other purpose.
• Is there any latitude to expand the space?   Works have started, feedback will be provided.
• They can put high rises down there.   It won’t bother anyone.
• There needs to be path lighting for night markets.
• Is there any budget allocated?   Is it all led within the suburban land agency?

Minutes taken by Andrew Braddock

GCC Community Meeting

9 May 2018

Gungahlin Library

6:30 – 8:30 pm

Chair: Peter Elford (President).

Attendees: see attendance log

Agenda item 1: Update from Transport Canberra, Ben Hughes

Ben reported that the benefits will outweigh the pain of all the road and other construction.     As well as road works we are also completing the town centre network for future growth.

Gundaroo Drive

Work is extending from Gungahlin east.   We are constructing the bus station and the Light Rail, converting Hibberson St to a shared zone, upgrading Horse Park Drive and road-works on the Gungahlin East estates.

Questions from the Floor:

•     Will there be a new Park and Ride as well as a Drop-off Zone for the new Light Rail?  – There will be provision for pick up and set down in peak periods and the existing park and ride will be moved nearer to the terminus to support light rail as well.
•     Will it be only for people on the Light Rail and dedicated for whole day? Yes.   It will be enforced by active My Way card and permit for car (available on Transport Can web site).   But open for others outside of peak periods.

Gundaroo Drive is our most challenging project.   It is about 9 months behind schedule because it runs along a high pressure gas main requiring permission to change.   There was no space to move it so we had to dig and check the condition.   It was 20 years old and could have been corroded.   We couldn’t close the road completely to traffic. We plan to have all lanes open in a couple of months.   Also Maryborough drive and new traffic lights will be finished soon.

Questions from the Floor:

•     What caused rest of delay?  –  Change in the scope of work in 2016 election adding more traffic to increase capacity.   Also weather impacts 2017.   It made sense not to bring in second contractor.
•     Was it the same contractor who was given work at the Cotter?  –  Cannot confirm that.   We heard concerns from the community and brought in Work Safety to check the contractor.
•     Keeping work to local contractors adds to taxpayer costs.    Cannot comment on Government policy.   –  These are requirements for tender on our projects.
•     Are there penalties charged?   –  Yes.   There is local industry participation. Projects are open to general tender but not worth interstate companies coming in except for major projects like the Majura Parkway.   Scale determines what you get.
•     A small concrete strip holding up Southpark Driveway needs to be removed.    –  I have looked and it protects adjacent work.  It will be removed soon.
•     Also could pre -qualifications on road surfacing be aligned with interstate jobs?  –  I will take up with procurement agency.

Video re Stage 2 is online.   We  learnt from Stage 1 that having the contractor and the gas works carrying on at the same time increased risk.   Thus we are moving gasworks before Stage 2 commences.

Question from the Floor:

•     Why has Gundaroo Drive stopped short of the Crace roundabout?  –  It was a financial decision.   The extension to Cavanagh St has just started  Due for completion in late 2018.   Horse Park Drive will be completed in segments.

Majura Drive to the Federal Highway Interchange

This has been delayed due to the impact of acid sulphate leaching out of bedrock. People may have noticed orange stains.  When exposed it becomes an environmental risk.   Giant mattresses have been designed to protect the environment from the Federal highway through to O’Sullivans Creek. We had to demonstrate to EPA that we could manage the problem.    We now have approval.   Simply burying was too expensive so we are now capping.   Also using a layer of membrane.   This allows us to keep it as a shared path.   There is only one bridge over a creek thus allowing a shorter construction time.   No big gas mains in way.

Question from the Floor:

•     What of the old carriageway?   –   We are going to resurface it.

Horse Park Drive

The section to Mulligan’s Flat is making good progress.   We will soon switch traffic and work on new carriageway out past Katherine Ave West.   We are also improving pedestrian access round schools.  South of Valley Ave is proceeding including signals due to open about June.   We are making good progress

Question from the Floor:

•     Why not continue Cavalerie Way through to carry transit traffic?  –  The original plan included a heritage corridor there.  The edge road is only a service road.   Anthony Rolfe will provide for transit purposes.

Hibberson St Shared Zone

We took options to the community and there was a call to make it more attractive to pedestrians.   Being shared deters traffic in peak period but it is available to traffic in quiet times.  It provides more outdoor space for people.

Questions from the Floor:

•     The noise near the fencing is 100 decibels which is not good for my business or others in the area.   Is there any hope for compensation?   There is always a possibility by applying to the Government Solicitor’s Office but you’ll be asked to go through a process on a case-by-case basis.   The contractors are governed by EPA guidelines and can be inspected.   They may be told to change their practices e.g. do noisy work at night.   Happy to talk to you.  Every business is given a contact number.
•     Everyone is happy with the outcomes but there is a problem with quick parking at night Any chance of getting Woollies to keep their carpark open?    –  Yes we can follow that up for you.

Gungahlin Bus Station

It is partially open and operating.   Replacing old diesel buses with newer ones will improve things but for people living close by we have built a sound baffle.   Landscaping there to be finished in next few weeks.

Answers to Other questions from the Floor

•     Compensation to businesses (see above)
•     More specific details – To avoid too much specificity we are now reporting quarterly for more transparency and flexibility
•     Project contracts available on line
•     Space used for asbestos in past?   Will be building road over it
•     Will look at coordinating of signals but signals are last choice.   Roundabouts work better throughout day.

Agenda Item 2: Updates on other Gungahlin matters, Peter Elford

Gold Creek Country Club and Homestead

The Suburban Land Agency has issued a tender for sale of a large portion of the land in Ngunawal, which also contains the old homestead.   Inspection has revealed that the building is not as derelict as feared.    We are concerned as we have been informed that proposals for use of the land (i.e. bulldozing the heritage building) will not impact on choice of tender.   GCC is concerned to retain the site for public purposes.   Tenders close in June or July.   Lend Lease are interested in the site for an aged care facility.   That could work well in retaining the homestead as well.

Questions from the Floor:

•     Suburban Land Agency has ignored community responses before so maybe community action required.   –  We are trying to do so.   We want to retain old stone parts of the homestead and the gardens.   Anyone who has time to be a serious campaigner is welcome. People should speak to local member or minister.

Proposal for Tower Blocks on Gunderoo Drive.

The original proposal was for two towers but later extended to nine.  The GCC and local businesses campaigned against that.   The proposal has now been amended from 18 to 15 stories but has not been made available to the public.   We have concerns about transparency   and are waiting to hear about the process.

Questions from the Floor:

•     Do we have the names of the relevant bureaucrats?   –   It is better to target your local member rather than bureaucrats as they don’t have discretionary powers.   There is also the problem of keeping community informed ahead of time so they can have their say in a timely fashion.

New Bus Services and Light Rail

Gungahlin Community Council raised concerns in August 2017 re lack of access to buses in outlying area and asked how things will change with Light Rail. We were informed there was now a consultation process re the new system. Transport Canberra have completed stage 1 of the consultation re the Rapid Bus Services.   There were 628 responses of which 80% were public transport users.   The majority was willing to walk further for a rapid response.  Everyone wanted apps, preferably built into the existing apps.   There were still concerns re services to out-lying areas.   Stage 2 of the consultation will be launched in June with mud-maps of routes and where buses will intersect with the Light Rail.   All day access and school services will be part of the general service.   The goal is for no-one to walk more than 500m to a local service and 800m to the rapid service.

New routes for new suburbs and schools are planned and also inter-suburban links.   A handout is available.   The date for the next consultation is June 18.

Agenda Item 3: The Heart Foundation: Active Living Principles – Impact of Territory Plan Overview, Annie Kentwell and Colleagues

Why is the Heart Foundation interested in town planning?   The way we design and build will influence active living in a population?  We believe strategies for change should involve supportive environments for physical activity.    Our focus is on increasing incidental activity in our lives.    Living in a walkable neighbourhood with safe, attractive, supportive infrastructures promote health.  Gungahlin is a car-dominated environment compared to Canberra’s Inner North.  It lacks an urban environment that promotes active lifestyle of adults and children.

Questions from the Floor:

•     Things needed in Gungahlin are neighbourhood schools and local employment.   Gungahlin has no local employment at all –

A Call Centre is coming and also some ACT shared services including possibly, a small Federal  Government  Department.  The Light Rail is planning to have people standing on trains.   Unfortunately apartments are more profitable for developers and government offices.

The Canberra Territory Plan is the first in Australia to begin implementing into strategic town planning such things as:

Easy and safe access environments for all ages

High quality open space

Mixed use land density

Active travel

Attractive supportive infrastructure

Wider paths

•     We need to lobby harder to get more money spent on footpaths – as much as on roads – Although our goal is 7% active travel currently only 4%  is spent on footpaths.    Canberra has been built round car but there is a need to increase housing density.
•     There are no designated cycle-only paths – everything is mixed use except where legislated.
•     Cyclists still tend to dominate – pedestrians are in fact priority level 1.
•     Is there encouragement to grow fruit trees on footpaths –  you can do it anywhere  here and also food unless in a heritage precinct.
•     Long commutes are a problem for Gungahlin.   There is a lack of employment here – It is very important to lobby government re the need for local industry to promote active living.  Gungahlin has a specific problem in this regard.

Minutes taken by Andrew Braddock

GCC Community Meeting

14 March 2018

Gungahlin Library

6:30 – 8:30 pm

Chair: Peter Elford (President).

Attendees: see attendance log

Agenda Item 1: Active Canberra

David Geoffrey and Simon DeLacey from Active Canberra provided a presentation on the Existing and future provision of sporting infrastructure in Gungahlin which is available on the GG website.

Points of note included:

•         The pool has been a great success with ~356,000 visits in 2016/17
•         Active Canberra was now providing Community Recreation Parks (such as Crace, Franklin and Moncrief) which was replacing the model of neighbourhood ovals.
•         Expansion of indoor sporting facility at Amaroo school
•         Planned delivery of 6 rectangular fields in Taylor in 2019 which will include grass surface and playing lights
•         Currently progressing planning requirements for Throsby playing fields with preliminary design starting latter this year
•         Working with Tennis act to identify a suitable location for a 12 court facility including community activity hub
•         Now conducting a study into indoor recreation facilities in Gungahlin and Belconnen
•         The former Magnet mart facility is not suitable for indoor sports due to its design and construction.

Question or concerns raised from the floor

1.      A question was asked about the Park promised for Casey to which the meeting learnt this was promised in 2012, was not delivered in that term, was not promised again in 2016 and hence the promise had expired.
2.      A discussion on how the ACT does not enforce lease provisions on clubs that should be providing community facilities (eg Bowls greens) and promises are not being met. Instead the land is then used for other purposes (private residential, gaming etc).
3.      A question was asked about the proposed site for a bowls club in Casey.  The meeting learnt that Clubs ACT has indicated there may not be commercial imperative to drive such a development given declining bowls membership levels and that their traditional model is increasingly under challenge. Ainslie Group had announced that their plan to put two synthetic greens in the Gungahlin lakes club was on indefinite hold
4.      Whether the community areas were smoke free, highlighting the amount of butts at Moncrieff park – action to take away and investigate
5.      Whether Active Canberra is responsible for the BMX track on the corner of Mirrabei and Gundaroo.  No this facility was set up by sporting club and is more suitable for kids, not adults.
6.      The provision of quality space given the number of high developments in Precinct 2b.
7.      Whether it was possible to get better lighting around Yerrabi Pond – this is a TCCS responsibility

Agenda item 2: James Milligan MLA update

James verbally briefed on the major issues/concerns that have come through his office since elected in 2016.  These included:

Light rail stop in Mitchell – Mitchell contains 300 businesses and 4000 employees which does not include patronage from customers. Construction has had a big affect on businesses, 30-40% loss in trade. In NSW gov is offering financial reimbursement to businesses impact.  A petition had been put together by Mitchell traders association for a stop to be built in Mitchell as part of stage 1 which he supports.  Questioning how much extra would it cost to put it in as part of stage 1 or stage 2.

•         Survey on Moncrief on non-existing bus service –  He had received 100s of responses and known families concerned about their kids walking long distances to get buses in Ngunnawal. James noted that similar issues existed in other new suburbs and stated that it was a planning issue in buses only go down major arterial given suburban streets are quite narrow.
•         Palmerston businesses – Due to small number of car parks in school there existed parking issues during morning and afternoon pick up. Leading to illegal parking and parking in the supermarket car park.
•         Indoor sporting study – James noted that the promise was originally made in 2012 that would do study, that the same promise was made in 2016 and in 2018 still not completed.
•         Concerned about horse park drive in that doing federal section last. Government lost its way in proper planning and subject to quick cash grab.

Questions

1.      Mitchell stop – will increase cost of first stage. LR is going ahead but need to make sure meets community needs.
2.      Question about the Canberra Liberals commitment to Light Rail – We are accepting stage 1 is progressing. Stage 2 not finalised so can’t agree to this until business case is presented. But will ensure they advocate for community outcomes. Have good relationship with federal government and would advocate if it is in the community’s interests.
3.      Do you get a sense of community sentiment on the density of residential development? Received numerous feedback expressing concern about the number of people who will reside here (more than population of normal suburb) and infrastructure provision.
4.      Question about what the liberal solution is for schools for car parking. Not worthwhile building car parks for use only 1 hour per day.  Bottle shops have larger drive through than our schools.  Need to look at infrastructure, space available and land allocation.

James also promised to provide a list of expired promises to the GCC to help hold Government to account.

Agenda item 2: Meegan Fitzharris MLA update

Meegan provided a verbal brief based on points earlier raised and questions from the floor.  These included

•         Air towers Development Application – device from Environment Planning and Sustainability Directorate is the DA has not been approved or knocked back, and the developer is revising their plans.
•         Cinema – no update was available.
•         Bus services – ALP had committed 9 rapid services at last election and will deliver the remainder over the next year.  Where these have already been implemented patronage has increased. Consultation occurred last year for rapid services and consultation for remainder of network will occur in next 6-8 weeks. The proposed Tuggeranong express bus will be considered as part of the network redesign in 2018.  Third of Jacka has access to bus service on Roden Cutler drive.
•         School car parks – The Government encourages active travel over car access and the ACT was the only jurisdiction to see an increase in active transport. Continue to fund ride and walk to school program and introduced 20 school crossing supervisors. Have had really good feedback on these, increased confidence by parents. This is likely to increase the number of children walking and dispersed drop off/pick up.
•         The simultaneous Gungahlin roadworks – The Government did  conduct survey and about 70% of respondees said get on and do it.
•         Horse Park Drive duplication – Tender has been finalised and will be announced this. Reason the section near the Federal Highway was delayed is due to the fact that there was insufficient contractor capacity to do itthe entire road at once, the northern section was easier from a planning perspective and the Government has to make design changes in reason to acid sulphate soils in that section. Will take till 2019.
•         Cycle path along Horse Park drive section closest to Federal Highway. Questions whether minor work to widen verge or road side barriers could make it much more safely. – Meegan noted that widening would require significant, disruptive work that would only provide a path for a short period of time until the full duplication project commences.  Road side barriers can also create obstacles for cyclists.
•         Gundaroo drive – will open August
•         Provision of more frequent events in Gungahlin – Noted works for Celebrate Gungahlin Festival are underway
•         Traffic in town centre – The installation of traffic lights on Gizzard and Ernest Cavanagh St will significantly improve the flow of traffic around the town centre, since the impaired functionality of one intersection has a flow on affect to others.
•         Concerned that building of infrastructure had not kept up with population – Whilst Government did sell the land and approved the building of residential properties, the Government is also reliant on Australian Bureau of Statistics numbers which had been consistently behind.  The Chief Minister is taking this up with the ABS.
•         Light Rail Mitchell stop – Was identified as a potential stop during the planning process and the Government had attempted to engage with business in the area but there was not advocation for the stop during the planning process..  Given not all 26 potential stops could go ahead this did not make the final plan.  Given the nature of the contract which will be in place for 20 years, it is difficult to amend.  There will be other public transport services to Mitchell.
•         Light Rail construction – Had noted and is monitoring concerns from business about construction but notes that the business climate had also changed irrespective or Light Rail given recent openings in Franklin, Casey and others had led to more competition.
•         Question about additional park and ride in town centre – will shift towards light rail. All day parking on Anthony Rolfe and Hinder and also parking is often available at the oval.  There is no plans for additional Park and Ride parking.
•         Question on whether the Government is looking to update infrastructure in more established suburbs (eg Palmerston) – Yes they were, play grounds.
•         Street crossing on Valley Ave near leisure centre to allow Burgmann students to cross safely – Will look into
•         Safety of children in Gungahlin place playground – Given there is a barrier and 40km zone the Government is of the view that controls are sufficient.
•         Banning large trucks in Gungahlin during peak hours – Government does not have that level of control and would have significant flow on effects.

Minutes taken by Andrew Braddock

GCC Community Meeting

13 February 2018

Gungahlin Library

6:30 – 8:30 pm

Chair: Peter Elford (President).

Attendees: see attendance log

Agenda item 1: Housing choices

Alex Couch, Planning Policy Branch, Environment Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate provided a presentation (available on website).

The brief highlighted that apartments and detached residence dominate approvals; with duplexes and townhouses forming a missing middle to housing choices.  The Directorate has a discussion paper out for community engagement.  Engagement will also include a collaboration hub, in which 10,000 residents selected at random are invited to participate to discuss issue. Trying to find out what type of housing do people wat to live in.  The RZ1 question is quite modest with questions about dual occupancy and individual title.

Questions/concerns raised during the meeting included:

•         One participant asked about the involvement of non-governmental organisations such as Northside, to which Alex stated they were consulting regularly.
•         Given 50% of housing in future will be under strata the Owners Corporation Network will need to be involved.
•         Will after this round will land blacks be made smaller and hence the backyard disappear – May be not much change required to Gungahlin.
•         Manage the parking aspect? On street? Do we strengthen other controls to make up.
•         Higher rates on properties

Agenda item 2. Owners Corporation Network,

Gary Petherbridge, ACT President, provided a verbal brief with the following key points

OCN covers Strata title support to duplexes to 28 stories, anywhere where a group of dwellings shared common property.  In the future 50% of dwellings will be strata.

Gary emphasised the following points:

•         The Government was encouraging people to move towards strata, however the recent changes to rates calculations have had a significant impact. The changes excludes people from the 4 tiers that are initially used to calculate rates. Hence all bits automatically are in the top tiers. Given approximately 60% of strata units are rentals – cost of rates and land tax are adding to extra cost and putting pressure on amount of rental accommodation.
•         Government hasn’t been that good at enforcing developers to build quality with modern properties often having defects. Builders go bust or disappear so owners corporations have to meet the costs.
•         OCN provides training, advice, guides about strata.
•         Missing piece of legislation is to adequately cover mixed use.

Agenda item 3. ACT climate strategy – towards Zero emissions

Catherine Keirnan, and Joel Hankinson, Climate Change and sustainability, Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate provided a presentation (available via website). So far ACT has focused on its 40% reduction by 2020 target but now needs to look towards the net zero emissions by 2050.  The ACT has picked low hanging fruit. Areas requiring further action include:

•         Transport – through electric cars, leveraging active travel)
•         Natural gas (heating and cooking) – one possible option includes pushing hydrogen into the grid.
•         Landfill gases – need to view waste as a resource

The Government is seeking people to participate in the community engagement. Question from the floor:

•         About reality of climate change and impact of renewables on cost of electricity.
•         Concerns about the disposal method for batteries/cars.
•         Requirement for Ministers of Transport and Planning to be on board.

Agenda item 4. Community Engagement, Suzanne Orr, MLA

Suzanne provided a brief on her engagement with the community on the quality of building construction in Gungahlin.  She has done an online survey, door knocking, and an article in the-riot act.  Discover a lot of issues are in multi-unit dwellings. Main issues were during the waterproofing process and difficulties in rectifying defects.  Government was:

•         Developing a building audit and inspection program.
•         Establishing a panel of independent auditors to conduct mandatory audits.

There was variability in terms of the quality of builders. Unfortunately rectification is a litigation heavy process. Regulations have also focused on structure, work has not started around quality.

Questions from the floor

•         Individual when building does it once and hence is not in a strong position. Privatisation of inspections was disaster, need inspectors from government
•         Concerns about Esque where companies can go bankrupt with no protections. Looking carefully at Phoenixing of companies
•         Buses from Moncrief – ongoing conversations with Transport Minister – looking into context of light rail.  Will encourage everyone to provide feedback in next round of consultation for buses to suburban areas.
•         Certification process – has been quite paper based, has not actually been visually verified.

Suzanne confirmed that personal information gathered only for the purposes of this survey.

Apologies – Meegan Fitzharris and James Milligan

Minutes taken by Andrew Braddock

Gungahlin Community Council Annual General Meeting – 11 October 2017

Meeting Details

Commenced 6.32pm – 15  people in attendance – Chaired by Peter Elford.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

The minutes of the previous AGM 14 December 2016 were accepted.

Moved John Phippen, seconded by Mark Scarborough

Presidents Report

GCC President’s report 2016-17 was tabled and read. See attached

Moved Henley Samuels seconded by Kevin Cox to accept the President’s Report

Treasurers Report

Treasurer’s report was tabled and a summary given. See attached

Moved Kevin Cox seconded by Henley Samuels to accept the Treasurer’s report

President stood down and the Public Officer Kevin Cox took the chair.

Election of Office Bearers

All positions were declared vacant. Written nominations were tabled for President, Vice President, Public Officer, Treasurer, Secretary, 2 Committee members.

Outcomes of the election of the committee

• President – Peter Elford;
• Vice President – Henley Samuel;
• Public Officer – Kevin Cox;
• Treasurer – David Pollard;
• Secretary – Andrew Braddock;
• General Committee – Prasad Tipirnen, Luke Hadfield

President took the Chair

General Business

There being no other business the meeting was declared closed at 6:50