Page 3024 - Week 10 - Friday, 8 October 2021
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residents to rely on neighbouring facilities in Weston Creek, which are already under significant pressure.
At the previous election, ACT Labor promised to fast-track the delivery of the Molonglo Valley commercial centre, which will contain sorely needed facilities such as a police station, emergency services, a year 11 and 12 college, a library, a community precinct, health facilities, and big-sized supermarket, retail and commercial space.
To deliver on this promise, the ACT government will, as outlined in the Indicative Land Release Program 2019-20 to 2022-23, need to release the first major piece of commercial land before 30 June 2022. This need was reiterated by Minister Gentleman in a letter that he sent to the Molonglo Valley Community Forum in April this year. With less than a year to go, however, Molonglo’s 10,000 existing residents have yet to be consulted or provided with any detailed information about the current plans for the land release and the Molonglo commercial centre generally.
On 11 June 2021, the National Capital Design Review Panel reviewed the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate’s planning framework for the commercial centre. The panel’s conclusions were damning. It found that the current proposal had no consideration of Indigenous site history; compromised the existing landscape character by requiring extensive cut and fill; did not accommodate any existing mature trees; lacked an effective water management strategy; had not justified its current distribution of uses and associated densities; did not outline an effective, well-integrated movement network; failed to articulate how it would deliver a safe and sustainable development; and neglected needs of the existing fast-growing Molonglo Valley community.
The panel was asked by the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate to “provide input on whether the present concept plans can deliver a high-quality built form and landscape outcome for the Molonglo Valley”. This is a critique of work which has been undertaken in our planning authority since 2006. It goes on to say:
The panel recommends that the proponent investigates a first principles approach to planning.
What have they been doing for the last 15 years with respect to designing this commercial centre? It continues:
The panel encourages the proponent to employ contemporary digital planning and designing tools to test alternative design options.
Again, what does this reflect—that we are using outdated systems in the process at present? It continues:
The panel consider that early consideration of the issues identified in this advice is essential to ensuring positive outcomes in later stages.
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