Archive for the News Category

AAMI publish an annual national Crash Index based on motor accident insurance claims across their various companies. Their 2021 results for Canberra includes 3 Gungahlin roads in the top ten list for accidents all of which are new entrants to the list:

The report notes that “Many of these roads take commuters to and from the city centre”. The GCC has written to the Minister for Transport, who spoke at the GCC’s May 2021 meeting, seeking a response to this data.

Bronte Group is conducting pre-DA community consultation on behalf of the landowners in relation to a proposed residential development on Block 8 Section 51 Taylor. The development offers a range of dwelling typologies including 30 apartments and 42 townhouses. The site currently provides for a vacant parcel of land located adjacent to the future Taylor Local Centre.

As part of the preparation of the Development Application for on the subject site, the Proponent is undertaking a program of Community Information and Consultation to engage with the neighbouring community and key stakeholders. In relation to the information presented by the Proponent and the Design Team, we would appreciate any comments you may have regarding the proposal.

The virtual information session will be held on Tuesday the 26th of October from 5pm to 6pm. To register for the information session, send your name, surname and email address to admin@canberratownplanning.com.au. The link to the meeting will be sent to you by the 25th of October 2021. On the day, use the link and follow the prompts to the meeting.

For further information and to provide feedback on the proposed design, please visit https://www.brontegroup.com.au/elia-community-consultation or contact Canberra Town Planning at admin@canberratownplanning.com.au or (02) 6262 5091.

The GCC welcomes the report of the Inquiry into Draft Variation 364 undertaken by the ACT Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, and strongly recommends the ACT Government adopt all of the Committee’s recommendations as a matter of urgency. It should be noted that the members of the Committee represent all three political parties in the ACT Assembly – we thank them for their work and report.

The report acknowledges the concerns that have been raised by the GCC as part of our Call to Suspend Land Sales campaign, and its recommendations are broadly inline with the actions proposed in our petition, our requests to the Minister for Planning (Example 1, Example 2), and the motions proposed by Suzanne Orr and Andrew Braddock passed by the ACT Assembly.

The current planning and development settings and processes are not facilitating the development of a Town Centre with all the employment, retail, community, and entertainment services Gungahlin residents expect of a town centre. To improve the outcomes of any further land sales within the Town Centre, it is imperative that the ACT Government action the recommendations of the Inquiry urgently, as further land releases are expected in the ACT budget to be announced on 6 October 2021.

The GCC notes in particular the following comments of the Committee (our emphasis):

• The committee is of the opinion that the Draft Variation is not fully formed and that the technical documents don’t serve to realise the objectives of the town centre plans. The committee also questions how the DV will shape the town centre and interact with the indicative land releases to lead to the stated outcomes. [4.10]
• The Committee is concerned by the methodology used to determine the demand for commercial land within the town centre and the subsequent decrease in land reserved for commercial use. Most concerning is that a commercial needs assessment was not undertaken to inform the decision that demand had in fact decreased. … [5.13]
• It was clear from all evidence before the Committee that mixed use development and the planning settings are very broad and not necessarily achieving the outcomes the Government, community or developers are wanting. The testimony highlighted the obstacles to achieving a mixed use precinct when developers only have responsibility for one single block and how a precinct scale development has more potential to achieve the outcomes sought. [5.26]

Report Recommendations

• identifies retail, community and commercial activity that can prosper in the town centre including activities that can anchor further growth;
• identifies options for the ACT Government to support potential commercial activity through appropriate land provision and complementary policy settings; and
• the findings of the investigation be used to inform the sale and development requirements of future land releases in the town centre.

• be sold as a precinct rather than as individual blocks;
• have contractual and lease requirements applied to the sale to deliver a precinct that includes retail, business, and community facility developments;
• apply a maximum number of residential dwellings allowable so that residential dwellings are not the primary or majority use;
• apply a minimum square metre requirement for commercial development; and
• be designed in consultation with the community.

Since 1996 the Gungahlin Community Council has issued a periodic newsletter/magazine. In the early days it was one of the few ways of promoting local events and activities. In recent times Social Media has taken over that role and Gunsmoke has become a record of local issues.

The latest issue is available as a pdf file at https://gcc.asn.au/gunsmoke/

Please do this very quick (2 minute) SURVEY to tell us what you know about and what you want from Gungahlin Smoke Signals.

Click Here to fill out the survey

Gungahlin Smoke Signals is for the Gungahlin community and continues to evolve. It started in 1995 with Roma Hoskins as the first editor. Roma produced 100 editions until early 2007. The first issues were one double-sided A4 page that became two double-sided pages. By edition 100, it was 20 pages and a distribution of 8000 delivered by Auspost to every household in Gungahlin. Advertising covered the cost of printing and distribution until Auspost increased its charges. At the same time, social media took over the newsletter role, and advertising dollars went to Google and Facebook.

Since edition 100, there has been another 50, along with a substantial change in the purpose and format. Gungahlin Smoke Signals is now an occasional magazine that records issues and developments in Gungahlin. It is no longer a newsletter or a way for businesses and community organisations to advertise.

The magazine needs your help. It needs ideas on its role. It needs writers, editors, and the community to assist with distribution. It needs to know what articles you find interesting.

If anyone has some of the early editions, please let us know, and we will arrange for them to be digitised.

Click Here to fill out the survey

The Environment and Planning Forum (EPF) “provides strategic comment on planning and development policy to the ACT Government and the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate” (EPSDD). The Minister for Planning attended the meeting on 28 June, 2021 and asked for questions to be provided ahead of the meeting. The GCC was encouraged to raise our concerns as detailed in the Call to Suspend Land Sales  in this forum.

The questions the GCC provided, and the written responses received are included below. Please note that the GCC would not normlly raise matters specific to a district in the EPF (which is an ACT-wide forum), but was explicitly asked to do so. These questions are extracted from this attachment to the EPF meeting minutes.

The responses from the Minister feel well short of acknowledging there is any problem, or articulating any actions to address the issues.

For reference, the GCC’s position regarding DV364 based on feedback from residents is detailed in DV364 Inquiry – GCC Submission and Hearings (from the summary):

The Gungahlin Community Council (GCC) believes that Draft Variation 364 (DV364) should be abandoned. It includes changes to the Gungahlin town centre precinct code that are strongly opposed by most Gungahlin residents that will adversely impact the viability of the town centre and the Gungahlin district. The changes to building height, although welcomed, are mute as most blocks of concern to the community already have developments approved that exceed the proposed height limits.

The Refresh experience further undermined the already low level of trust that Gungahlin residents have with the planning system and processes. The Refresh took too long, the feedback from the community was selectively picked at, feedback was ignored, and the final conclusions and proposed actions were at odds with what the community had expressed. Moreover, the late introduction of new proposals (reducing the amount of commercial space, more mixed-use, new mechanisms for handling community space, etc.) which were not exposed to the community for discussion, came as a complete shock and appear not to be evidence based.

Questions Tabled in EPF

QUESTION 1

Two motions have been passed by the ACT assembly, and the ACT Assembly will receive a petition signed by over 650 residents next week, regarding the development of the Gungahlin Town Centre. This is strong evidence that the current planning processes are failing to deliver a viable town centre for Gungahlin. You have committed to respond to Suzanne Orr MLA’s motion (passed on 10 February 2021) by the last sitting day in 2021 (2 December). Andrew Braddock MLA’s motion (passed on 3 June 2021) calls for a response by October 2021.

What specific actions is the ACT government taking to inform and develop a response to the call to “support the further development of the Gungahlin region and town centre, ensuring that there are additional employment opportunities in Gungahlin” ? How will the Gungahlin community be engaged in the process of developing a response ?

ANSWER

• The two motions, now resolutions of the Assembly, are being considered. Responses to the Assembly resolutions will be provided by the stated timelines.
• There has been ongoing planning for Gungahlin and it continues to be updated to address changes in market, global impacts and ongoing changes in best practice and communities (including planning for the future Gungahlin community). Through various forms of consultation and engagement the Gungahlin community has and continues to provide input and feedback on planning and development in Gungahlin.
• It is not only planning that is responsible for the viability of centres – noting it is considered that the planning has provided strong foundations for a liveable and viable Gungahlin town centre. There has been considerable investment in Gungahlin as the town centre and district grows and changes.
• Draft Variation to the Territory Plan 364 (DV364) incorporates the recommendations of the Gungahlin Town Centre Planning Refresh into the Territory Plan to provide guidance on the desired built form and character of the centre as it develops. An inquiry into DV364 is being held by the Standing Committee on Planning, Transport and City Services. The Government will in due course respond to the Standing Committee inquiry.

QUESTION 2

Many of the planning (poor development), transport (traffic congestion/parking), and lack of facilities (community, sport, recreation) issues in Gungahlin are the result of disconnected incremental investments and projects without a clear and enforced overall strategy.

Will the ACT Government commit, as a matter of urgency, to establishing a cross-directorate place-based approach to completing Gungahlin with all the services residents would expect of a Canberra district? This approach would require active participation from (at least) EPSDD, TCCS, CMTEDD, CSD, SLA, and JCSD, with occasional input/involvement from Education and Health. 

ANSWER

The Government’s approach to planning is an integrated approach which includes collaboration across Government agencies and Directorates. At both the strategic level and the statutory level there is ongoing sharing of information and input. The district planning work being undertaken is an example of how at a spatial scale, the government is taking an integrated approach to strategic planning.

QUESTION 3

What processes (policies, initiatives, incentives, metrics) does the ACT government have in place to encourage the equitable distribution of sustainable economic development, facilities and services across all of Canberra’s districts?

ANSWER

In terms of policies, a clear hierarchy of centres applies in Canberra and this influences the spatial structure and distribution of activity throughout the city. The centres distributed across Canberra include: the city centre, four district town centres, 19 group centres and 93 local centres. This hierarchy is recognised in the ACT Planning Strategy, the National Capital Plan and the Territory Plan.  Beneath this, the Territory Plan provides a system of zoning that is implemented in all centres across all districts to provide for and support economic development, facilities and services to be located at accessible locations. While planning can facilitate and respond to change it is not solely responsible for development and activities that occur throughout the districts. Market forces and industry play a role eg, locational decisions of the private sector to take up the opportunities presented under the land use zoning for centres and in districts. Employment areas and activity areas might also occur in other areas and provide further differentiation of services and competition of economic development opportunities.

The government plans for a range of uses and facilities based on population projections, comparative analysis, engagement, monitoring of changes over time (locally and in other jurisdictions). As Canberra has grown not every centre is the same or serving the same type of population and the needs, opportunities and challenges change.

The ACT Planning Strategy outlines the Government’s clear vision of planning for a compact, efficient, diverse, resilient and accessible city and outlines a number of actions toward achieving this. Further the Strategy identifies an opportunity to undertake a district planning approach to develop a better understanding of district attributes and needs and proposed planning directions for districts (page 93) including (see action section 1.1.4, page 43): https://www.planning.act.gov.au/act-planning-strategy/strategic-directions/compact-and-efficient-city

The ACT Planning System Review and Reform project is currently investigating the opportunities for a district planning approach (https://www.planning.act.gov.au/planning-our-city/act-planning-system-review-and-reform)