The next public meeting of the Gungahlin Community Council (GCC) will be held on Wednesday 10 April 2023 starting at 6:30pm. We will be meeting in-person at the Eastlake Gungahlin Club.
As usual the meeting will be live streamed on Facebook via the GCC Facebook page.
Agenda
Mixe-use developments in the Gungahlin Town Centre – mostly spaces For Lease
This is an utterly underwhelming response. If you agree, please leave a comment and/or share your views with one or more ofthe Yerrabi Memmbers of the Legislative Assembly (MLA):
The ACT Government undertakes a public consultation as part of preparing each ACT budget. The budget for FY21-22 will be announced on 31 August 2021 and the FY21-22 consultation has recently closed. The GCC’s submission reflects the issues we highlighted leading into the 2020 ACT Election, and have been advocating for during 2021 (mostly focussed on the town centre). The GCC also participated in a joint submission regarding community services in Gungahlin with Northside Community Service, Barnardos Australia and Canberra Police Community Youth Club (PCYC).
This article is a timeline that details the how Draft Variation 364 of the ACT Territory Plan got developed.
Gungahlin residents are frustrated and confused about the appearance of high rise residential developments in the Gungahlin Town Centre (see The Gungahlin Residential Towers Story). The Gungahlin Community Council (GCC) contacts the Deputy Director General of the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) (then, Gary Rake) “regarding the transformation of the Office Park precinct into a very high density collection of mixed-use residential towers. It highlights the lack of cohesion there appears to be in how these developments are approved, particularly in the context of the overall town centre plan, and the community’s understanding of what is permitted.”
Gary Rake proposes “A place-making review of the Gungahlin precinct plan”, a fast and focussed piece of work with an expected completion on June 2016.
The review becomes the “Gungahlin Town Centre Planning Refresh” and is launched with key issues identified as:
An online survey is made available on Have Your Say website. This surview appears to be “manipulated” by a person/or persons supporting high-rise residential development (multiple responses from the same Internet address).
Timeline is now:
April to May 2017 – Consideration of feedback and formulation of draft variation to the Territory Plan (if required)
Mid 2017 – Community engagement on a revised draft variation to the Territory Plan (if required)
Minister for Planning, Mick Gentleman issues press release – A renewed vision for the Gungahlin Town Centre:
“We want to continue to make the Gungahlin town centre a place that people want to visit and spend time in, not just for the shops, restaurants and services, but the open spaces and community facilities,” Minister Gentleman said.
“We will be asking how we can improve access to the centre for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as private and public transport.
“Following the community engagement and relevant stakeholder meetings, the Government may propose changes to the Territory Plan that will also go through a community engagement process.
“The Gungahlin town centre is integral to the city’s economic growth and diversification. It has the potential for sustainable growth that provides more housing and lifestyle choice for residents and more travel options. However, the centre needs to meet the aspirations of the existing community.
Gary Rake presents an overview of the refresh at the GCC public meeting.
Stakeholder workshop held with community, industry and government representatives. Numerous other engagement mechanisms are also held, including popups, planning in the pub, phone surveys, etc.
After a long delay, the GUNGAHLIN TOWN CENTRE PLANNING REFRESH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT REPORT – STAGE 1 is published.
After further long delays, EPSDD present an overview of what they propose to include in DV364.
GCC provides a written response to the Town Centre Planning Refresh regarding Draft Variation 364:
The Gungahlin Community Council (GCC) is disappointed with the Gungahlin Town Centre Planning Refresh (the Refresh).
The recommendations that it makes regarding building height and character affirm positions that the GCC has been advocating for several years which are diametrically opposed to development application decisions the government has made in the North West Gungahlin precinct. This is absolutely a case of government taking far too long to change obviously flawed processes, and when it finally makes a recommendation (not even a decision) to change it, it’s far too late, condemning an entire generation of residents to a concentrated example of unconstrained development.
The Refresh makes no firm recommendations on how to address this situation and its likely impact on traffic, pedestrian and cycle access, over shadowing and the absence of green/open space for an unintended population of this size. Other rec ommendations, such as the change to
the space to be reserved for office space, lack an evidence base.
Further, the Refresh moves Gungahlin away from the ACT stated goal of sustainability. Sustainability requires localisation of economic activity. The GCC Town Refresh continues the trend of centralisation of economic activity to Civic and the Northbourne Avenue corridor. It does this by halving the amount of space available for employment in the GCC Town Centre.
This is unacceptable as it is planned that only 14% of paid employment for Gungahlin residents is within the Gungahlin district and that includes home-based businesses and the industrial area of Mitchell.
Employment is a social activity and it is an important part of building Social Capital in a Community. More employment in the Town Centre will also increase the utility of the Light Rail. Rather than reducing the space for Business Activity, the Gungahlin Community Council would
like to see the amount increased to at least the planned levels in Belconnen.
The proposed business zone reductions will severely limit the possible expansion of the Gungahlin central business district. A significant increase in traffic congestion now exists in the CBD having been exacerbated due to recent traffic modifications to incorporate public transport.
Expansion of the Gungahlin CBD is critical to reducing this traffic congestion. Apartment complexes with small business ground floor space is a poor substitute for dedicated business zoning to the Gungahlin community. We would also like to see existing planning regulations enforced and fewer exceptions granted that reduce the level of business space in buildings.
Draft Variation 364 is published for public comment. A single community consultation is provide as a 2 hour popup in front of Woolworths on 12 October 2019.
New developments are require to comply with the Draft Variation as it has interim effect. The interim effect lapses after 12 months.
A summary of Draft Variation 364 is presented at the GCC public meeting by EPSDD.
The Fast Tracks program is one of the ACT government’s economic stimulus responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. A number of Fast Tracks projects in Gungahlin have already been announced.
Thise table is a summary of other projects that the Gungahlin community has identified which the GCC will pass onto the ACT government for consideration.
Please leave a comment, or email the GCC with details of projects that you think should be added to this list! Projects need to be able to be started immediately and be delivered by local businesses and include “infrastructure and maintenance work on government-owned community buildings, schools and other facilities across the city”. This means they cannot be complex or require products to be ordered, etc. Look at these for examples – Fast Tracks projects in Gungahlin
| Project Description | Map |
|---|---|
| Connect path across Yerrabi Pond dam at Western end to existing footpath |  |
| Seal dirt path to complete concrete path behind houses along Bunduluk Street |  |
| Repair the erosion along this segment of the Centennial Trail and remedy the boggy section at the Northern end of the marked section (which is causing trail spread) |  |
| Construct a path between Lester Street and the bus stop on Crackerjack Way |  |
| Complete Nurdurr Drive as a road |  |
| Extend the existing Fast Track project to build a multi-use path behind Palmerston all the way through to Gungahlin Drive (could just be a gravel path) |  |
| Provide pedestrian crossings across Gribble Street to/from Bunnings and Hibberson Street to/from Library (perhaps lights at this intersection) |  |
| Install traffic lights at intersection of Gozzard St and Valley Way |  |
| Complete the duplication of Anthony Rolfe Ave between Gundaroo Drive and Gozzard St |  |
| Improve the quality and accessibility of the Old Wells Station Road behind Harrison and Mother Theresa schools. Seal a path to avoid flooding, and allow access for mobility scooters and strollers over cattle grid |  |
| A pedestrian bridge over Gundaroo Drive between Anthony Rolfe Ave and Gribble Street to better and more safely connect the town centre to Yerrabi Pond Park. |  |
| Seal dirt track at intersection of Newlop Street and Horse Park Drive |  |
The June public meeting of the Gungahlin Community Council (GCC) will be held online at 6.30pm on Wednesday 10 June 2020. There will be a virtual meeting room running on the Zoom application, and this will be live streamed on Facebook on the GCC Facebook pages. Attendess are strongly encouraged to join the Zoom virtual room meeting – please email us (info@gcc.asn.au) and we will send you the link needed to join the meeting.
Agenda
Last updated 26 May 2020
The May public meeting of the Gungahlin Community Council (GCC) will be held online at 6.30pm on Wednesday 13 May 2020. There will be a virtual meeting room running on the Zoom application, and this will be live streamed on Facebook on both the MyGungahlin Facebook and GCC Facebook pages. Attendess are strongly encouraged to join the Zoom virtual room meeting – please email us (info@gcc.asn.au) and we will send you the link needed to join the meeting.
Agenda
FTP # 149
Peter Elford
