Page 998 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 26 July 1989
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relation to the Canberra Times site, blocks 1 and 2, section 35, Civic, as insane. It is not an insane decision; it is a very, very important one because it is the start of putting Canberra's planning back on the rails. Let me quote from that judgment which states:
In that part of the cross-examination Mr Westman and counsel cross-examining isolated the problem which redevelopment of this site poses. Men of business can see no other use for the land consistent with its location and value as an inner city site. If that be the case it follows ineluctably, I think, that the land ought to be redeveloped as proposed so that its highest and best use might be availed of unless, and this is the position for which the objectors contend, what I may describe, if broadly and loosely, as environmental factors are to take precedence over what men of business would see as the commercial imperative.
The time has come to say Canberra is not simply about making money. That is important - it is very, very important in part of our development - but it is not the overriding factor.
The myth of the central business district in Canberra ought to be exploded because that is all it is - it is a myth that suits a small group of developers. There is a place for development in Canberra, and there is a place for a certain type of development in Civic. The concept of running a central business district for Canberra along the lines of Sydney or Melbourne is absolutely ludicrous.
On Monday morning I was fortunate enough to be at a conference on heritage in Melbourne. I was unfortunate enough to have to spend an hour sitting in a car driving into the city in order to get to the location of that conference. We do not have that situation in Canberra. We do not want it; we can avoid it; we should avoid it. It is in the public interest to ensure that planning is done according to other factors as well as that of commercial requirements. It is one of the factors, but it is not the only one.
The overriding factor ought to be what is suitable for the majority of people in Canberra. That deals with a whole series of environmental issues, many of which are referred to by Justice Kelly in this judgment. Our detractors in planning often argue that debates over the central business district are about parking. I say that is rubbish.
What the parking problem going into the central suburbs reflects is that planning is off the rails. It is a symptom, and we ought to address that symptom, but at the same time we must address the real causes of that. In a planned city it is entirely and completely unnecessary. But it is more about pollution of the environment; it is about how long it takes people to get to work, how much
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