Posted on behalf of the Heart Foundation.
There’s a fun,and easy way to feel happy and healthy. It’s walking – and everyone is welcome to take part. Come along to our regular walks to meet new friends and boost your health.
What: Yerrabi Pond Over 50’s Walking Group
When: Weekly on Friday, 10:30am (starting August 10th)
Where: Yerrabi District Park BBQ Area of Wunderlich St, Gungahlin
Visit walking.heartfoundation.org.au for more information
Gungahlin pups and dog owners are invited to Yerrabi ponds district park Amaroo to join a puppy playgroup for puppy dogs. Bring social interaction and exercise for your puppy. Pet play toys supplies and treats provided. For more info contact caseyanz_02@hotmail.com (or call 0421099935)
The GCC has been pursuing the issue of poor bus services in most of the new (and some not so new) suburbs of Gungahlin. We have written to the minister, received her reply and recently had a meeting with Transport Canberra staff on May 7 to get an update on the promised community consultation on the new bus network in conjunction with the introduction of light rail. A summary of what we covered in the meeting, provided by Transport Canberra is below.
For more information check out the results of the Phase 1 consultation:
Update for Gungahlin Community Council, May 2018
Strong response from Gungahlin residents during consultation on the new bus network in
late 2017.
Transport Canberra is working on a proposed new bus network, building on the community’s desire for a more frequent bus network with services running more often, seven days a week. Key features of the new bus network will include:
Simplicity
Coverage
Better integration with emerging service models
TCCS is working with the Education Directorate to better understand school catchments and better understand how the new bus network can serve student needs. In response to the matters raised consistently by the GCC, the new network will also include:
More detail is coming in mid-2018. We will be in touch with the GCC as soon as we have more to share about the detail of the new network.
The YourSay website includes a summary of what we have heard from the community so far (https://www.yoursay.act.gov.au/rapid-network-2018). Further information on phase 2 will be coming soon. Any questions? Please contact us at TCCS.TCNetwork2018@act.gov.au.
The GCC has been concerned about the impact of the large number of high-rise residential mixed use towers at the Western edge of the Gungahlin Town Centre (Precinct 2b), since 2016. Our concerns about traffic density, reduction of solar access, lack of green space for a much larger population than expected in this location, and lack of cycling/walking access to/from/through the precinct are detailed in Gunsmoke 143 and Gunsmoke 144 .
We had particular concerns about the Air Towers development because of it’s size and location, as it is adjacent to one and two story residences and businesses on (effectively) three sides, at the corner of Gozzard Street and Gundaroo Drive. The Development Application (DA) for this two tower development, one of 18 storeys tapering to 12 storeys, and one of 8 storeys, closed in November, 2017 and was strongly opposed by the majority of the Gungahlin community and the GCC.
The current status is that:
The GCC remains actively engaged with ESPDD on this issue, and appreciate the information they have shared with us. We have, however, expressed our concerns regarding the transparency of the process, given that this information has had to be requested rather it being provided, particularly given the large number of representations.
Original DA Proposal
It looks like the final chapter in the history of the Gold Creek Homestead is about to be written. The ACT government’s Suburban Land Agency are selling the block it is located on via tender – the details are summarised in an article on MyGungahlin – it’s described as a “retirement community living opportunity”.
The GCC recently had the chance to visit the site and took the photos below.
In a region that is “all new” retaining our links to our past and history are important. The Gold Creek Homestead site not only provides this, it is also a delightful green space, with huge trees, a pond and the skeleton of a sculptured garden and tennis courts. Gungahlin cannot afford to loose such green space. There is plenty of room around the homestead building for some development which will keep the site in active use. For these reasons, the GCC will be striving to ensure the successful tenderer that buys the site retains this green space and homestead as a public facility for the current and future generations of the Gungahlin residents.
The National Trust have written written to the CEO of the Suburban Land Agency expressing their concerns (full letter):
The ACT Heritage Council has determined that it does not reach the threshold for Territory significance which is a higher level than local significance as they consider local significance is not included in the ACT Heritage Act.
The National Trust does not agree with this interpretation and application and there are other examples of local significance already listed on the ACT Register.
Come along to our next public meeting on 9 May if you want to express your concerns about this sale, or contact us.
As part of the ACT Government’s Public Housing Renewal project, and consistent with the ACT’s long history of distributing public housing throughout the community, a number of public housing projects in Gungahlin have been recently completed in Amaroo, Moncrieff, and Nicholls, and commenced in Taylor and Throsby. Details can be found here.
Planning approval has been completed for two new public housing projects in the Gungahlin Town Centre. Some details for these developments are shown below
Block 1 Section 248 – Corner of Kate Crace, Ernest Cavanagh and Anthony Rolfe
Block 4 Section 249 – Corner of Manning Clark and Valley Way
This is a media release from Meegan Fitzharris, MLA, 9 March 2018
From next week Hibberson Street in the Gungahlin Town Centre will be transformed into a more people-friendly shared zone, with work also beginning on an upgrade to Gungahlin Place Park to add more greenery and play spaces.
Work is already well underway on the construction of the Gungahlin Light Rail Terminus, the Gungahlin Bus Station, and associated traffic lights and pedestrian upgrades. In addition, work has begun on the Gungahlin Walk in Centre.
Minister for Transport and City Services Meegan Fitzharris said Hibberson Street will close for work to begin on Tuesday 13 March, and while there is a lot going on in the Gungahlin Town Centre, the end result will be worth it.
“When I was first elected as an MLA, one of the things I wanted to deliver was a more vibrant and people-friendly Hibberson Street, where more people wanted to shop, meet for a coffee or sit and relax.
“It’s really exciting this work is about to start, and we are turning the Gungahlin Town Centre into a more connected, lively place to shop, eat and play.
“While there will still be on-street parking, pedestrians will be the big winners from the Hibberson Street upgrade, with improved footpaths, a 20 km/h one-way shared zone, and more plants and trees transforming the street into a vibrant, people-friendly precinct.
“Work on the new Gungahlin Bus Station is well underway and will provide easy access between buses and light rail, safe pedestrian access, CCTV cameras and new trees.
“Gungahlin Place Park, between Hibberson Street and Efkarpidis Street, will help beautify the town centre and offer kids more places to play and parents more places to relax. The park will include extended grassed areas, new play equipment, a birds nest style swing for all-abilities, timber walking planks, rain garden and a dry creek bed for kids to explore.”
Work on the Gungahlin Bus Station will be complete at the end of April, with other work on Hibberson Street to finish in the third quarter of 2018. Light rail is on track to finish in late 2018, however businesses and shoppers will start to notice work finishing sooner in the Gungahlin Town Centre.
“I’d like to acknowledge there is a lot of work going on in Gungahlin at the moment, and I really do thank people and local businesses for their patience. In the long term this work will really revitalise the town centre and cater for our growing community.”
Road closures will be required in coming weeks to facilitate the completion of these projects and have been designed to minimise ongoing impacts to the community.
The following road closures will come into effect in the coming months:
• Gungahlin Place will be closed northbound between Efkarpidis Street and Ernest Cavanagh Street from 13 March to late-April 2018 for construction of the Gungahlin Bus Station
• Hibberson Street will be closed between Gozzard Street and Gungahlin Place from 13 March to the third quarter of 2018 for construction of the Hibberson Street shared zone.
Full pedestrian access will be maintained while these works are underway.
The ACT Government is working to finish these projects as quickly as possible. We thank everyone for their patience whilst this important work continues.
For more information on these projects and others in the area, visit www.tccs.act.gov.au or contact Access Canberra on 13 22 81.
Th
e Hall School Museum and Heritage Centre is again presenting a Twilight Concert on 25 March at 4pm.
Hall’s annual brass band twilight concert has been a popular part of Canberra’s autumn calendar for 10 years. The concert, hosted by local David Kilby and held on the lawns of the Hall School, gives people an opportunity to experience a traditional “band in the park” concert.
The concert featuring the Canberra Brass band under director Kevin Knapp, with Victoria Street Brass and Canberra Youth Brass and a local guest vocal soloist
Katie de Veau, will provide music with a theme of Musical Reflections – celebrating a decade in the life of Hall village
Refreshments will be available or BYO picnic.
The nationally significant Hall School Museum & Heritage Centre will also be open from 2.30pm.
Canberra’s first light rail vehicle (LRV) arrived just before Christmas marking a major step towards an integrated public transport network.
The new LRV is the first of 14 vehicles which will be arriving over the coming months.
ABOUT THE LIGHT RAIL VEHICLES (LRV):
Each LRV is made up of two modules with a driving cab at each end. Inside there is room to carry 207 passengers per tram, 66 seated and 141 standing.
The LRVs are state-of-the-art and have been designed to provide on-board safety and comfort. They are equipped with on-board Wi-Fi as well as air conditioning and dedicated spaces for wheelchairs and bicycles, making it an accessible, practical and comfortable transport solution.
The light rail vehicle is powered by electricity, which it draws from an overhead wire. The driver controls the vehicle’s speed and braking as the light rail vehicle is steered along its path by rails, in the same way that trains are on train tracks.
The light rail system has its own dedicated corridor and does not share the road with other vehicles. This will help to assure the speed and reliability of the service leading to better journey times.
Canberra’s light rail is fast approaching, keep in mind:
Safety Tips:
For more information about Stage 1 of Canberra’s Light Rail, Gungahlin to City, visit www.canberra-metro.com.au
Article provide by Canberra Metro.