Minutes – GCC Community Meeting 14 June 2017

GCC Community Meeting 14 June 2017 (Forde Community Centre 6:30 – 8:30 pm)

Chair: Henley Samuels (Vice-president).

Attendees: see attendance log

Agenda item 1: David Matthews – Transport Canberra – Review of Gungahlin Bus Services

David Matthews provided a slide presentation (available on website) on Gungahlin bus services. Of note were:

  • Current usage – High level of usage along Flemington road, route 200 most popular whilst route 255 experiencing greatest growth
  • Bus services affect 12-15 minutes by road works
  • expansion of rapid services including green (Woden to city) and Black (Gungahlin to Belconnen) which is due to start in the second half of 2017.
  • Transport Canberra planned to make minor timetable adjustments in second half of 2017 to account for road work delays.
  • Works currently underway for Gungahlin Place New bus interchange which is expected to be completed late January 2018. The city bound bus stop will move from its temporary position back to Hibberson Street in August 2017 before moving to its final place in Gungahlin place when the new interchange opens.

Questions asked, and responses were as follows:

    • When could new suburbs (Moncrief, Taylor and Jacka) expect services.  Response was fleet is at capacity with only limited opportunity to introduce changes in second half 2017. More opportunity existed in 2018.

 

  • Concern about park and rides ( number of spots, proximity and permanency) – taken on notice
  • Concern about level of consultation with the new bus terminal and works on Hibberson st – taken on notice

 

  • What services will be removed when light rail commences and how will TC mitigate impacts will arise. – buses need to provide the services to connect LR and increase patronage. Light rail will free up 1.2 million kilometres. There are also 80 new buses being procured.
  • Gizzard to valley avenue is extremely busy – us in traffic controllers
  • Status of electric bus trial – out to tender for second time –  announcement expected very shortly.
  • Movement of driver respite on top of Anthony Rolfe – TC is looking for alternatives.
  • Connection of Casey market town – TC is examining how this could be done.
  • Time frame for when bus routes integrate into light rail – begin community consultation before end of 2017 and into early 2018 for substantial network changes to occur once light rail is operational.
  • Election commitment for a trial bus from Gungahlin to Tuggeranong – Currently no spare capacity in fleet. Earliest opportunity will be in Second half of 2017. Need to understand from community demand more.

Agenda item 2: Senator the Hon. Zed Selselja – Relocation of Commonwealth agency to Gungahlin

Zed updated the council on his election commitment to relocate small to medium agency (between 300-600 staff) from the Parliamentary triangle to Gungahlin. This was a frustratingly slow process, the agency had been identified but couldn’t be announced. Department of Finance was currently consulting with the agency’s senior management. Expecting after internal processes are complete a procurement process will commence in second half of 2017 for office space in Gungahlin. Given the Commonwealth tends to sign reasonably long leases he expected this would be a long term arrangement.

Question was asked about the lack of infrastructure spending in Canberra.  Zed highlighted Barton highway and Monaro highway are important infrastructure projects. The .$500 public service modernisation fund would involve expenditure in Canberra on ICT and infrastructure. Also massive increase in health spending in CBR from health budget.

Agenda item 3: CSIRO Land development

CSIRO announced it anticipated first land sales to occur 2021-2022. They have completed ecological studies which are now available on their web site and have listed additional buffers zones (200 out of 700 hectares) for preservation. Site will be an overall net negative carbon emitter. 10% of dwellings will be affordable housing

Currently conducting stock take of CSIRO skills to develop a science plan on how to use Ginninderra site as a lab for future urban development. Plans to pass on expertise to ACT government. Planned timeframes for the CSIRO’s release have been communicated to the ACT government

Agenda item 4: ACTEWAGL

ACTEWAGL presented on a number of recent faults that had blacked out significant parts of Gungahlin at peak times. Gungahlin’s network includes overhead (mainly on feeders getting to suburbs) and underground (more reliable but harder to identify and repair faults). The recent faults has arisen because of:

  • Equipment failure – one occurrence
  • Network damage from a third party
  • Fault in one of the switch gears
  • Network protection faults – two
  • Damage next to primary school – was a planned outage which they deferred till 2200

He noted that power might go on and off when switching network load

ACTEWAGL has fixed the faults and put on hold capital upgrades at centre hub until end of winter period which means they have redundancy and would reduce the number of households impacted should something happen. Will start community consultation in July on 5 year maintenance plan.

Questions and responses included:

  • Is Gungahlin’s network collapsing or are these random – average across Canberra is very good.  Gungahlin is performing well except for past 6 weeks
  • Question about quality of cables – Mixed depending on age. Some cables 25 years old – 50% through life span
  • Feedback that ACTEWAGL did not use social media as well as they could in network outages. ACTEWGL agreed that information provided could have been more honest and more direct. Ngunnawal outage could have been handled better
  • Compensation for lack of services, particularly for appliances damaged during random on and off sending power down lines. Not required to provide compensation
  • Investigating bring in more feeders – annual planning report looks into future load growth. As Gungahlin grows need to strengthen network
  • Objections to price rises – invited to provide feedback to ACTEWAGL forums.
  • Why were prices rising when ACT government was signing fixed price renewable energy contracts? – not able to answer

Minutes taken by Andrew Braddock

Minutes – Public Meeting 11 November 2015

Public Meeting 11 November 2015

GCC President – Wednesday, November 11, 2015

CSIRO, Public Housing, MLA Update, Bunnings, Bus Station

GCC PUBLIC MEETING

Wednesday 11th November 2015

6.30pm commencement

Meeting Chaired by Tony Ozanne (Vice President)
Apologies: Peter Elford (President)

(26 attendees including 8 Committee Members)

6.37pm – Agenda Item 1: CSIRO intention to coordinate development of a parcel of land (approx. 75 hectors) in the area bounded by Barton Hwy/ William Slim Dr/ Owen Dickson Dr.

Speaker: Mark Wallace (CSIRO Portfolio Manager)

The CSIRO Ginninderra site has been identified as excess to the CSIRO’s current plans.  It is the CSIRO’s intention to enter into a joint venture arrangement for development of the parcel of land.  There is a current consultation process which will end Friday 13th Nov 2015.

Information can be obtained and comments made on the CSIRO’s website

 

7.05pm – Agenda Item 2: Public Housing Canberra
Speaker: David Collett – ACT Government website – Economic Development

Goal: To establish 12088 medium and high-rise dwellings in the inner areas of North and South Canberra.

Gungahlin – Public housing development in Moncrieff; Nicholls; Franklin; Amaroo and Gungahlin Town Centre

Download (PDF, 1.21MB)

7.12pm – Agenda Item 3: Liberal Party (LP) policy and matters of concern

Speaker: Alistair Coe

1)      LP policy is to fund the construction of a fly-over across the Barton Hwy (Gundaroo Rd to William Slim Dr)

2)      LP have concerns that the implementation of a structure to accommodate Uber as competition to regular taxi services creates a situation that does not extend fair consideration to current owners and operators of the taxi network

3)      LP have concerns that the planning of the alignment of Gundaroo Rd is too close to residence located to the north of the petrol stations

4)      LP have concerns related to staff movements within the capital Metro senior staff

 

7.27pm – Agenda Item 4: Bunnings development: Opening and community interaction

Speaker: Alinia (aka AJ)

The store will open in mid-December.  There will be opportunities for community organisations to be involved.  Only appropriately structured community organisations can participate but community participation is encouraged and Bunnings will provide assistance wherever possible.

7.33pm Agenda Item 5: Gungahlin Bus station

Speaker: John Hilman

The community are invited to comment.  Visit the ACTION website.  Consultation open to 14 December 2015.

Matters of discussion:

1)      Park-and-ride implication related to the relocation of the Town Centre’s main bus stop;

2)      Parking along Gungahlin Place roadway and the impact removal of parking is having on retailers;

3)      How will community comments be incorporated into the consultation

7.50pm Agenda Item 6: General Business

1) Tony Ozanne announced that he will be vacating the position of GCC Vice President at the GCC December meeting.  Tony invited interested council members to nominate for the position.

2) General information/ discussion relating to the development of the Gungahlin Cinema.

3) Advice that the “Gungahlin Festival” will be held 2nd April 2016.  For more information visit the Celebrate.Gungahlin website

4) Discussion relating to the planned Nurse-Walk-in-Clinic which is planned fot the Gungahlin Town Centre

Meeting concluded 7.58pm

Next meeting 9 December 2015 – NOTE: There will be no January 2016 GCC public meeting