On 19 April 2022 the ACT Government released the Community and Recreational Facilities Assessment—Gungahlin District. The contract for this work was signed in December 2020 (as reported by the RiotACT), and is part of a range of activities regarding Commmunity Facilities in Gungahlin including the
- Gungahlin community centre,
- Casey land release, and
- Future planning.
The report highlights the chronic lack of facilities in Gungahlin – an issue raised frequently by the GCC. Of the 28 types of community facility identified in the asessment, 57% (16) are either not meeting demand (9) or require further investigation regarding demand (7) (over the period being considered, ie. out to 2045). It should be noted that some of the analysis could be improved, but the assessment is very important because:
This report will inform further consultation, identification of priorities, and decision making by the ACT Government on a range of community and recreational facilities.
The report reviews all the previous studies done in this space (7 of them, going back to 1998!) which higlights that many of the needs (indoor sports, youth centre, aged cared, community halls/meeting spaces) have been well known for some time. It also introduces some benchmarks for facilities which can be applied more broadly across Canberra.
The conclusion from the executive summary states:
Additional community and recreational facilities that may require further investigation for provision in Gungahlin include:
- Public primary schools and public colleges
- Community centres and neighbourhood halls – which could be delivered as part of the proposed community centre in the Gungahlin Town Centre
- Flexible meeting rooms/spaces – which ideally would be co-located with the proposed community centre or co-located with other facilities
- Residential aged care facilities and places and aged day care centre (respite)
- Dedicated arts space – potentially part of the proposed community centre
- Dedicated space for youth activities and programs – potentially part of the proposed community centre
- An indoor sports court centre
- Outdoor sports courts facilities – additional courts that can be used for netball/basketball (noting that these have different size requirements).
The summary table from the report is included below.
The GCC would very much like your feedback on this report – what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s been missed. Respond below or email us.
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