Gungahlin Town Centre Development Subject of ACT Assembly Motion

This motion is an important acknowledgement of the concerns that Gungahlin residents have been raising for many years, and the GCC thanks Suzanne Orr MLA for this initiative. The GCC is greatly encouraged by the fact that the motion was supported by both Greens and Liberal (opposition) Yerrabi MLA’s. It reflects the advocacy and accountability expectations we set out in Expectations of Candidate for the 2020 ACT Election.

From the ACT Assembly’s Matters of Public Importance 1-2021 summary:

Development of the Gungahlin Town Centre was the subject of a motion moved by Ms Orr MLA on 10 February 2021. The motion included calling on the Government to support the further development of the Gungahlin region and town centre and outlined how this might be achieved. During debate amendments were moved by the ACT Greens that included noting that all parties had committed to building a large community centre in the Gungahlin Town Centre during the 2020 election. The amendments also called on the Government to support the creation of an entertainment precinct to enable a night time economy. The ACT Greens amendments were agreed to following debate. A further amendment was moved by the Opposition to include calling on the Government to ensure additional employment opportunities in Gungahlin. This amendment was also agreed to.

We encourage residents to read the detail of the motion (below) or watch the debate in the assembly, and to continue to provide feedback and support to the GCC and your local MLAs around your concerns.

Development of the Gungahlin Town Centre Motion

Extracted from the Assembly’s MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS for Wednesday 10 February):

Ms Orr, pursuant to notice, moved—That this Assembly:

(1) notes that:

(a) the development of Gungahlin Town Centre is a matter of note to the residents of Gungahlin;

(b) unlike other more established town centres, Gungahlin is relatively young and has been developed from its earliest days with the ambition
of being a genuine mixed-use precinct; and

(c) there is great opportunity to guide the remaining development of the town centre to ensure more recent learnings from practice in the ACT
and other jurisdictions are applied to future developments; and

(d) all parties in the Assembly during the 2020 election campaign committed to build a large community centre in the Gungahlin Town Centre;

(2) calls on the ACT Government to support the further development of the Gungahlin region and town centre, ensuring that there are additional
employment opportunities in Gungahlin by:

(a) implementing best practice mixed-use development through the
planning framework, and allowing for:

(i) specific requirements to achieve a balanced diversity of uses within mixed-use developments including community uses;
(ii) specific requirements to achieve a higher level of commercial and business uses and subsequent activity within mixed-use
developments;
(iii) providing for requirements for commercial fitouts that enable the easy establishment of varied business and commercial activity
without the need for significant modification or retrofitting;
(iv) clear design principles that link development activity with achieving active precincts and vibrant street level activity; and
(v) traffic flow around the town centre;
(vi) the creation of an entertainment precinct so as to enable a night time economy without impacting residents;

(b) ensuring current sales of development sites incorporate the requirements to support best practice mixed-use developments;
(c) implementing best practice mixed-use developments processes and regulations that are used to inform Draft Variation 364 and the Territory Plan; and
(d) engage with the Gungahlin Town Centre community on mixed-use developments in their town centre.