Page 3025 - Week 10 - Friday, 8 October 2021
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Essential to get positive outcomes! Basically, if we continue with the plans as they are, will they not provide a positive outcome. The panel states that the proponent is also encouraged to elevate the current vision and principles, to clearly articulate the intent and to define the desired outcome for this important proposal. All I can say is thank God for the design review panel, because, from what they have said, the current plan does not clearly articulate the intent and/or define what the desired outcomes are. I can help a little bit here. The outcome should be an aesthetically pleasing, functional and properly connected shopping, learning, health, emergency services, community building and commercial centre, with modern design and functionality, sitting in the landscape and respectful of it. People want their shops delivered on time, to have the facilities that they need, and to have appropriate and sufficient undercover carparking, public transport and bicycle arrival locations.
They need to be able to enjoy using the area in the warm weather as well as in the cold weather, as we know across Canberra, and for the various blocks to be connected, unlike the difficulties in the Gungahlin town centre, where blocks were separately sold and separately developed by completely different developers with completely different ideas of what that town centre should be. They need and want to look out over the surrounding area and the views, and not have a total decimation of the land as it undulates at present. Is that too hard to articulate or to plan for?
The panel states that the current planning does not demonstrate adequate consideration of and integration with Indigenous site history. Are we still no good at this? How many more years will it take? We know we are on Aboriginal land. Why is this not just a standard part of preparation of a new area and especially our commercial centre?
The current proposal includes a significant cut and fill, as we see in new estates all over Canberra, which means that the shape of the landscape is altered, and any native flora and fauna are removed. Again, why? Is it necessary? The design review panel seems to think it is not. How will the mature trees on the site be included? The report says that at present they are not. This is a shame for a new area which is lacking so much mature vegetation that it seems to be a huge concrete thoroughfare and a heat island at the moment.
The panel says that the proposal does not adequately articulate how sustainability will be achieved. Again, really? This is a Labor-Greens government. You would think that this would be a normal part of the design process. There is no water management strategy for the various proposed ponds. The panel therefore concludes that they will be of limited effectiveness. The various densities across the site are not sufficiently justified.
It seems from the panel’s report that transport infrastructure has not been adequately considered. The panel asked the proponent to create a community-focused core earlier. Yes, please.
There is significant frustration in the Molonglo Valley community about the fact that people do not know when these shops will be built, how they will look, what will be
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